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MODERN 
AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

ITS USE AND ABUSE 



A BOOK OF INSTRUCTION ON THE AUTOMATIC 
HIGH SPEED AND STRAIGHT AIR BRAKE. 

TOGETHER WITH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

COVERING A COMPLETE AIR BKAKE EXAMINATION FOR ENGINEMEN, 

TRAINMEN AND MOTORMEN. 

BY 

Frank H. Dukesmith, M. E., 

Director of the Dukesmith School of Air Brakes of Meadville, Penna,, 

and former Superintendent of Air Brake histruction for 

the International &> Great Northern Railroad 

and the Texas 6^ Pacijic Railway. 



Profttselp 5llti6trattli 



WITH ENGRAVINGS FURNISHED BY THE WESTINGHOUSE, NEW YORK 
AND DUKESMITH AIR BKAKE COMPANIES. 



Adopted as the Text Book of The Dukesmith School of Air Brakes^ 
Meadville, Pa. 



PERFECTLY INDEXED AND CROSS-INDEXED. 




PUBLISHERS 

FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO., 

CHICAGO, U. S. A. 

1906 



c .- 12 1906 
J^3^ o 

OOPY B 






Watered according to the Act of Congress^ in the year of 1906 

By FREDERICK J. DRAKE & CO. 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress. 



All Rights Reserved, 








Modern Air-Brake Practice— Its 
Use and Abuse 



INTRODUCTION 

The author, realizing that the average Air- 
Brake Instruction book is written in a style much 
too hard for the ordinary reader to understand, 
has endeavored to illustrate the principle on 
which the Air Brake works by drawing compari- 
sons with things commonly met with in the daily 
life of every one, and has avoided technicalities 
as much as possible. 

To still further simplify the study of the brake 
he has divided the subject matter into eight dis- 
tinct sections. By this system the reader will 
find that the knowledge necessary for the proper 
handling and care of the different air-brake sys- 
tems can be acquired in the shortest possible 
time and in the very easiest manner when com- 
pared with any other plan. 

Section i explains why the air brake is so little 
understood. 

Section 2 describes the different parts of the 



2 INTRODUCTION 

Westinghouse air brake equipment and their 
duties. 

Section 3 explains the various defects arising 
from the use and abuse of the Westinghouse Air 
Brake Company's equipment, and their remedies. 

Section 4 describes the different parts of the 
New York Air Brake Company's equipment and 
their duties, and explains the various defects 
arising from the use and abuse of the New 
York Air Brake Company's equipment and their 
remedies. 

Section 5 describes the different parts of the 
Dukesmith Air Brake Company's Equipment and 
their duties. 

Section 6 explains the various defects arising 
from the use and abuse of the Dukesmith Air 
Brake Company's equipment and their remedies. 

Section 7 is devoted to the Philosophy of Air- 
Brake Handling, in which is brought out many 
important points that have not heretofore been 
made sufficiently clear by air-brake writers; to- 
gether with tables and rules for computing Brake 
Power, Leverage, etc., etc. 

Section 8 is a special feature of this book, as it 
describes the Straight Air Brakes used on elec- 
tric-motor cars, thereby affording motormen and 
others employed on electric car lines the oppor- 



INTRODUCTION 3 

tunity of acquiring valuable and much needed 
information. 

Following each section are carefully selected 
questions and answers, which tend to fasten 
firmly upon the reader's mind every possible de- 
tail pertaining to the operation and maintenance 
of the air brake. 

As books of instruction are supposed to be 
written for the benefit of the very beginner as 
well as the advanced student, the author has en- 
deavored to make each sentence as clear as lan- 
guage will permit, even to the extent of repeat- 
ing some things (in a different form of expression) 
in order to meet the comprehension of even the 
dullest student, and in all cases he has tried to 
shape his sentences in a style which railroad men 
generally will readily comprehend, without hav- 
ing to guess at anything. 

While it is necessary, of course, in describing a 
drawing of any piece of machinery, to use either 
letters or figures to point out the several parts, it 
is not necessary to be continually referring to the 
letter or figure in speaking of the part afterwards, 
as it gets the reader badly muddled; but once the 
letter has pointed out what part is meant, in 
speaking of it afterwards the part will be called by 
its proper name. When a certain part is illustra- 



4 INTRODUCTION 

ted in this book the letters or figures used in refer- 
ring to it will also be placed on the same or op- 
posite page, so that if the read,er wishes to recall 
the relation of any given part to another he can 
turn to the engraving illustrating that particular 
piece of machinery, and will there find an explana- 
tion of the letters or figures used in referring to it. 

When a man has learned thoroughly the West- 
inghouse air brake system a study of the New 
York air brake equipment becomes a very easy 
matter, for the reason that the same general me- 
chanical principles apply with equal force in both 
cases, the only difference between the two sys- 
tems is that the results accomplished are arrived 
at somewhat differently. This being true the 
author has fully described and illustrated the 
Westinghouse Air Brake System first, after which 
he has thoroughly described and illustrated the 
New York Air Brake System. 

As the subject matter pertaining to train 
handling, leverage, brake power, etc., applies 
equally as well to one system of air brakes as to 
the other, it is not necessary to again refer to 
these subjects when the New York air brake is 
being described. 

As the great tendency of modern railroading 
Is to heavy locomotives and long heavy trains, 



INTRODUCTION 5 

the question of controlling the locomotive brakes 
separately from the train brakes is undoubtedly 
of more importance today than any other branch 
of *air-brake practice, and this being true the 
author has not only fully described both the 
Westinghouse and New York straight air sys- 
tems but has shown with equal f allness the latest 
developments in the Dukesmith Air Brake Con- 
trol System as used on locomotives and cars. 

In order to assist the reader to quickly find any 
and all information in this book he has divided 
the indexes into two parts, the first index covers 
the Westinghouse, New York and Dukesmith 
Air Brake Systems, Leverage, Brake Power, etc.; 
the second index covers the Straight Air Equip- 
ment as applied to traction railroads. 



SECTION 1 



CHAPTER I ^ 

SOME REASONS WHY THE AIR BRAKE IS SO LITTLE 

UNDERSTOOD BY RAILROAD OFFICIALS 

AND EMPLOYES, AND WHY IT 

IS SO BADLY NEGLECTED 

In writing a book of instruction an author has 
no right to presume upon his reader's previous 
knowledge of the subject, as there is no way of 
his knowing how far that knowledge may extend. 
Therefore, as this book is meant to contain full 
and complete instructions on modern air-brake 
practice, its use and abuse, I will take it for 
granted that you, my reader, are desirous that I 
leave nothing unsaid which may in any way 
throw light on the subject. 

If the human memory could be depended upon 
to reproduce impressions made upon it after the 
manner of a phonograph, it would be the easiest 
thing in the world to acquire an education on 
any given subject, but as this is not the case, we 
must, first of all, bring ourselves to realize that 

*Be sure and read the Introduction first. 

7 



8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

if the knowledge we acquire is to be of any real 
value to us we must conform to the natural 
mental laws in our method of acquiring it, if we 
are to have any assurance that our memory will 
reproduce that knowledge at a time when it is 
most needed. 

The mental laws by which the action of the 
mind is mainly controlled are those of Logic and 
Association. This may sound like Greek to you, 
but as it is very essential that you should know, 
at least in a general way, what is meant by the 
laws of Logic and Association, I will explain by 
saying that the truth or falsity of every state- 
ment is determined by Logic, and by the law of 
Association you are enabled to remember and 
trace one circumstance to another. 

To make this plain, if I should say to you that 
the principle on which the automatic air brake 
operates is that any material reduction in the 
trainpipe pressure will cause the brake to set, 
then, if you should see the brake set on a car to 
which no engine was attached, you would logi- 
cally say there must be a leak in the trainpipe 
somewhere, or the pressure could not have been 
reduced. 

That you may understand how the law of 
Association enables you to remember things, I 



ITS USE AND ABUSE g 

will just ask you to think for a moment of your 
home, and immediately there comes to your 
mind a mental picture of familiar faces, scenes 
and objects that a few minutes ago were buried 
in the depths of your memory. Now, supposing 
you wish to recall some bit of knowledge that 
has apparently slipped your memory, if you can 
take up the thread at any given point, the law of 
Association will carry your thoughts along, step 
by step, until you finally perceive the point you 
had forgotten, and which will cause you to sud- 
denly exclaim, "O, pshaw, I remember now, it's 
so and so!" Now haven't you often gone through 
just this sort of experience? 

Well, then, when you study any subject in a 
systematic way yo'u will find that after you have 
once mastered it you can take it up at almost 
any given point, and by the laws of Association 
and Logic, recall and prove up your previously 
acquired knowledge. 

The air brake is, comparatively speaking, a 
simple piece of mechanism, and as all machinery 
must conform to the laws of Logic in order to 
perform its functions correctly, it will be an easy 
matter for you to master a knowledge of the air 
brake provided you will keep firmly in mind the 
fact that the action of any one part of the appa- 



lo MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

ratus always depends on the action of some 
other part in order to produce a certain result. 
For instance, if you had your train fully charged, 
and the gauge on the engine showed a pressure 
of 70 and 90 pounds, and the angle-cock was 
closed between the tender and the head car, you 
might even throw the handle of the brake valve 
to the emergency position, and still the brakes 
wouldn't set. Why? Simply because the action 
of the triple valve depends on the changing of 
the pressure in the trainpipe, and with the angle- 
cock closed on the head car the brakes couldn't 
set, even if you should knock the engineer's brake 
valve clear off the engine. 

Therefore, when you have mastered a perfect 
knowledge of the air-brake system, the law of 
Association will force you to remember the 
functions of the different parts of the equipment, 
and by the law of Logic you will be enabled to 
tell exactly when the apparatus is working 
properly. 

It may sound strange to make such a state- 
ment, but it is a fact, nevertheless, that the main 
reason why the air brake is so badly neglected is 
because it is automatic, or self-acting. 

The average man, whether he be an official or 
employe, seems to feel perfectly safe on any kind 



ITS aSE AND ABUSE n 

of a train so long as he knows it has air brakes 
on it, and if any one were to ask him if he 
thought there was any danger of the brakes fail- 
ing to stop the train, would laugh and say, '*0, 
no, not at all, as all the engineer has to do is to 
make an emergency application, and the train 
will stop all right." 

This would be a perfectly true statement if the 
air-brake equipment was always kept in its 
proper condition, but there are so very many 
things that can and do go wrong to prevent the 
brakes from doing their duty that the question 
of keeping them in good order is a very serious 
problem, indeed, and one that is arousing a deep 
interest in the minds of all railroad men. One 
of the strongest evidences of this fact is shown 
in the enactment of the national law spoken of 
elsewhere in this chapter. 

It does not require much of a mechanical mind 
to grasp the fact that an air brake on a car 
would be worse than useless if the packing 
leather in the brake cylinder was dry, and 
allowed the air to escape, for no matter how 
good the engineer might be at handling his 
Drake valve, the brake on that car could not be 
made to hold. 

This is only one of a score of things which 



12 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

might prevent the brakes from doing their duty, 
but because the brake will "work itself" the 
majority of men fail to see why the brake should 
not also 'take care of itself." But, like all other 
mechanism, it requires proper attention. 

Another reason why the average man is lulled 
into the belief that the air brake needs but very 
little attention, is because a very few good air 
brakes on a train will produce results simply 
wonderful when compared with the old hand 
brake. 

Such over-confidence in the power of the 
brakes to always stop the train is very much like 
the Irishman who bought two currycombs for his 
horse, because the dealer said to him if he would 
"buy one of his new patent currycombs, he could 
keep his horse on half the usual feed," where- 
upon Pat replied, "Faith, thin, I'll just take two, 
and I won't nade to buy any feed at all, at all." 

Another reason why the air brake is so little 
understood and so badly neglected is because of 
its extreme simplicity, for with just ordinary 
attention it will continue to do its work, with 
more or less efficiency, for a considerable length 
of time, and as a consequence it is neglected 
until the brake-cylinder leather becomes dry and 
worthless; or the piston travel becomes too 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 13 

great; or the triple valve becomes gummed and 
dirty, and causes the brake to stick; or the 
strainers in the cross-over pipe becomes clogged; 
or the seats of some of the valves become worn 
and leaky, when the brake is "cut out,** and the 
weight of that car is left to be stopped by the 
next car on which there happens to be a good 
air brake. But the average man fails to realize 
either the danger or expense of having the 
brakes "cut out," simply because so long as he 
knows a car to have a "self-acting brake" on it 
he feels safe, when as a matter of fact a hand- 
braked car is much safer for the railroad com- 
pany than one with the air brakes cut out. For 
if it were 'not equipped with air the car would 
be carried with the non-air cars, and the train 
crew would have to look after it accordingly. 

When short trains and slow speed were the 
order of the day it was perfectly safe to handle 
trains with only one-third of the cars air-braked, 
but in this twentieth century when long trains 
of heavy cars are shot over the country, up and 
down hill, like a Kansas cyclone or a scared 
wolf, the question of stopping power is of the 
highest importance, which means that every car 
in the train should not only have a ''quick- 
action" brake on it, but that the brake must be 



14 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

in perfect order, and the "piston-travel ' right up 
to where it belongs, and the enginemen and 
trainmen possessed of the proper knowledge of 
how best to manipulate and control the brakes 
in order to prevent accidents — as the great 
variety of accidents which may happen from bad 
handling, or not having a sufficient number of air 
brakes, is too numerous to mention. 

It is safe to state that there is not a single rail- 
road of any importance that does not pay out 
annually three times as much money on account 
of bad brakes and bad handling of brakes as 
they pay for a general manager, but because of 
the many different channels through which the 
expenditures are made they are not charged up 
directly to the brakes. 

For instance, an engineer in coming into a sta- 
tion with a passenger train is making the stop with 
"one application" (the old way) and, after his 
brake cylinders and auxiliaries have equalized 
their pressure, and he is drifting along, depending 
upon the weight of the train to stop him at his 
usual place (because after equalization the auto- 
matic brakes cannot be applied any harder), a 
woman or child in crossing the track is killed. 
The amount of money the company has to pay 
out as a result of this "bad handlintr" of the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 15 

brakes will run up into thousands of dollars, and 
yet the engineer excuses himself by simply say- 
ing: "The brakes failed to work." 

Again, railroad companies are out thousands 
of dollars annually on account of damaged mer-" 
chandise, caused by the brakes being "thrown 
into the emergency" when there was no real 
danger ahead to require the emergency applica- 
tion to be used, or because of a defective triple 
valve. 

Uneven piston-travel causes more trains to be 
parted while running along, draw-heads pulled 
out, wheels flattened, etc., than any other one 
cause; hence it is evident that the brakes should 
not only be kept in perfect working order at all 
times, but the men who handle them should 
understand thoroughly how to properly manipu- 
late and keep them in order. 

The American Congress, realizing the vast 
importance of having the air-brake equipment 
kept up to somewhere like it should be, recently 
enacted a law, which became effective in Septem- 
ber, 1903, requiring all railroads to have at least 
fifty per cent of the cars in all trains equipped 
with air brakes in good condition. And as the 
law would be a dead letter if the "good condi- 
tion" clause was not lived up to, it is easy to see 



l6 MODERN AIR-BRAFCE PRACTICE 

that railroads are forced to look after the instruc- 
tion of their men as much as possible, and in 
order to do so many roads which are not already 
so provided, are putting on regular air-brake 
instructors as rapidly as conditions will per- 
mit, and are voluntarily increasing the number 
of air-braked cars in freight trains. 

Some idea may be formed of the average 
man's knowledge of the "equalization of pres- 
sure" by the following true stor>': A certain 
engineer on a mountain road was going down 
a pretty stiff grade, and after making a great 
number of "reductions" from his trainpipe, and 
not feeling the train slow up as he expected, 
turned to the head brakeman, who happened 
to be riding on the engine, and said: 'Hey, 
Bub, you'd better be gittin' back, 'cause I ain't 
got but a few more squirts left in this thing." 
And still he was considered a good runner by his 
employers. 

In order to insure safety in the handling of 
trains it is absolutely essential that ever>' one 
whose duties in any way connect him with the 
air brake, should not only know what all the 
parts are that constitute the air-brake equip- 
ment, but must also understand the philosophy 
of handling the brakes under any and all cir- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 17 

cumstances, as the requirements of his position 
may demand. 

In addition to all of the many reasons previ- 
ously mentioned as to why the air brake is so 
little understood by the average engineman and 
trainman alike, a very common one is because of 
the unsystematic manner in which the study of 
the air brake is usually begun. The engineman, 
if he gives the subject any study at all, usually 
begins by trying to master the mysteries of the 
brake valve, or the pump, and the trainman 
usually thinks there is nothing for him to learn 
except how to "cut it in, or cut it out," and gives 
as his excuse that "the engineer handles the 
brake, and, besides, it is automatic, and works 
itself." 

The experience of late years has abundantly 
proven that if an air-braked train is to be handled 
with safety it is absolutely necessary that every 
man on the train thoroughly understands at 
least the principle on which the brake operates, 
and must be able for a certainty to tell when the 
brakes are in perfect working order by making 
a careful test before starting, or when any 
change is made in the train. ^ 

A serious accident happened recently by the 
simple act of a brakeman turning up the handle 



l8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

of a pressure-retaining valve. He heard the air 
escaping at the "retainer," and thinking he 
would '*stop the leak," turned up the retainer 
handle, and as a consequence the brake on that 
car could not be released from the engine, which 
allowed the wheels to become overheated, caus- 
ing them to burst, which ditched the train and 
killed three men. This would never have hapy- 
pened if that brakeman had only understood the 
mere principle on which the brake operates. 



SECTION 2 



CHAPTER II 

THE WESTINGHOUSE AIR-BRAKE EQUIPMENT — THE 
PARTS AND THEIR DUTIES 

The full and complete equipment of a modern 
quick-action automatic air brake is composed of 
twelve essential parts, as follows: 

First: The steam-driven air pump which sup- 
plies the compressed air. 

Second: The main reservoir in which the 
compression air is stored. 

Third: The engineer's brake valve by which 
is regulated the flow of air from the main reser- 
voir into the trainpipe for charging and releas- 
ing the brakes, and from the trainpipe to the 
amostphere for applying the brakes. 

Fourth: The duplex air gauge, which shows 
simultaneously the pressure on the trainpipe 
(black hand), and in the main reservoir (red 
hand). 

Fifth: The pump governor, whichf regulates 
the supply of steam to the pump, causing it to 
automatically stop when the desired maximum 
of pressure has been accumulated in the air- 
brake apparatus. 

19 



20 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

Sixth: The trainpipe, which connects the 
engineer's brake valve and each triple valve in 
the train, and includes the air hose and hose 
couplings between cars. 

Seventh: The quick-action triple valve, which 
is connected to the trainpipe, auxiliary- reservoir 
and brake cylinder and pressure-retaining valve. 
The triple valve operates automatically when- 
ever the pressure in the trainpipe is reduced 
lower than that in the auxiliary reservoir, and 
performs three functions: charges the aux- 
iliary, applies the brakes and releases the brakes, 
as will be fully explained hereafter. 

Eighth: The auxiliar>' reservoir, in which is 
stored the air pressure for applying the brake 
(on each car, engine, or tender, there is an indi- 
vidual auxiliary reser\'oir). 

Ninth: The brake cylinder, in which there is 
a piston and piston-rod, which is connected to 
the brake levers in such a manner that when the 
triple valve is moved to allow the auxiliary pres- 
sure to flow into the brake cylinder, the brake 
piston is ttiereby forced outward, which causes 
the brakes to apply. 

Tenth: The pressure-retaining valve, which 
is connected to the triple exhaust by a small 
pipe. On freight cars the retaining valve is 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 21 

located on the end of the car near the top, just 
below the staff of the hand brake, and is for the 
purpose of enabling the brakeman to retain a 
pressure of 15 or 50 pounds in the brake cylinder 
while the engineer is recharging the auxiliary 
reservoir. While the handle of the retaining 
valve is turned up the brake cannot be released 
from the engine, neither can it be "bled off" by 
the bleed cock of the auxiliary, for the reason that 
the cylinder must discharge its air through the 
triple exhaust, and when the retaining valve is 
closedit means that the triple exhaust isalsoclosed. 
It is very important that brakemen thoroughly 
understand the operation of the pressure-re- 
taining valve, as many accidents are due to igno- 
rance or negligence in the working of this device. 

Eleventh: The automatic slack-adjuster auto- 
matically maintains the travel of the brake cylin- 
der piston at a given distance. For instance, if the 
piston-travel is set for eight inches it will auto- 
matically keep it there. The slack-adjuster is 
piped direct to the brake cylinder, so that every 
time the brake is applied the adjuster is oper- 
ated automatically. 

Twelfth : On passenger cars there is common- 
ly in use a valve known as the conductor's valve, 
which is connected directly to the trainpipe and 



22 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

by means of which the conductor can apply the 
brakes from the car in case of danger. This valve 
is now being superseded by one known as the 
Dukesmith Car Control Valve, which is a com- 
bined Retaining Valve, Conductor's Valve and 
Release Valve. This new valve is located in the 
same place as was the old conductor's valve, and 
in making an emergency application the conduc- 
tor pulls the cord the same as he did before, 
and after having applied the brakes he resets 
the valve, the same as he did with the old conduc- 
tor's valve, and when it is desired to retain the 
pressure in the brake cylinder he moves the han- 
dle of the Dukesmith Control Valve to retaining 
position after the same manner as any ordinary 
retainer, but a feature of this valve which is of 
great importance is the fact that by its use the 
conductor or trainman can release the brake on 
a car when the triple valve fails to go to release 
position, thereby avoiding the great danger of 
having to stop the train in order to release a stuck 
brake. A still further attachment to the Duke- 
smith Control Valve is the Automatic Release 
Signal, which is for the purpose of automat- 
ically signaling the trainmen from the inside 
of the car what the brake under the car is doing, 
that is, it tells when the brake is set or released, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 23 

what the piston travel is, whether the brake is 
leaking or releasing off, and should too much 
pressure be accumulated in the brake cylinder 
than the standard amount, the Release Signal 
automatically blows down whatever extra pres- 
sure is in the brake cylinder, thereby reducing the 
liability of sliding the wheels or stalling the train. 

As the very heart of the automatic air-brake 
equipment is the triple valve, it is necessary that 
both enginemen and trainmen thoroughly mas- 
ter this feature first of all. 

It is not necessary that trainmen should know all 
about the care of the pump, the ports in the brake 
valve nor how to handle the air as an engineer, 
but they should know and understand dll about the 
triple valve, and be able to make an intelligent re- 
port of any defects that may be found in the car 
equipment, how to make a proper test, and why 
correct piston travel is positively essential to good 
brakes, by mastering a knowledge of the Laws of 
Leverage. 

Enginemen should not only be thoroughly fa- 
miliar with the points just outlined for trainmen 
to learn, but, in addition, should know all about 
the action of the pump and the pump governor; 
the different kinds of automatic and straight air 
brake-valves, their parts and their action; how to 



24 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

determine and maintain the proper braking 
power on engine and tender; the construction and 
operation of the whistle-signal apparatus ; why dif- 
ferent air pressures are necessary; the best man- 
ner of nandling different trains under any and all 
circumstances, and how to detect and report in- 
telligently any trouble that may arise in any part 
of the equipment. 

To the ordinary mind this may at first thought 
appear very difficult of accomplishment, but 
such, however, is not the case, provided the study 
of the air brake is taken up systematically, and 
one thing is mastered at a time, taking each part 
in its regular order. 

This cannot be done in a minute or a month, 
but requires time and patience. There is nothing 
mysterious about the air brake, as it is simply a 
question of one pressure working against another 
at all times, and all there is to learn is how and 
when the several pressures are separated or joined 
together, and when and to what extent you 
wish to let the pressures flow together or be kept 
apart, in order to secure a given result. 

All this is done by a system of very simple 
valves and pistons, reservoirs and cylinders, all 
connected by suitable pipes for the purpose of 
allowing the compressed air to pass from one 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 25 

part of the equipment to the other, or to the at- 
mosphere, as the case may be. 

The first part of the air-brake equipment we 
will consider will be 

THE TRIPLE VALVE 

Naturally the first question you will ask is 
"Why must there be a triple valve?" 

It is because the brake charges, sets and re- 
leases automatically, and as this requires three 
distinct services, it follows that a device capable of 
doing a triple service must be had, and as these 
three things are done by one part of the equip- 
ment it is called the triple valve (meaning three 
valves in one, or a valve that charges the aux- 
iliary reservoir, a valve that sets the brakes and 
a valve that releases the brakes). 

As there are several kinds of triple valves in 
use, but as the same principle operates them all, I 
will first describe the action of the ''plain" triple in 
making a full service application of the brakes, re- 
leasingthebrakes andrecharging the auxiliary res- 
ervoir(taking it for granted that the auxiliary and 
trainpipe are charged to 70 pounds to begin with). 

In order to clearly understand the duties and 
actionof thetripleyoumustalwaysbearinmindthat 
on each car there must be a trainpipe, an auxiliary 
reservoir, a brake cylinder and the triple valve. 



26 MODERN AIR-BRAKK PRACTICE 

The trainpipe is the channel through which 
the compressed air passes between the engineer's 
brake valve and the triple. 

The auxiliar)' reservoir is where the air is 
stored under each car, ready for use. 

The brake cylinder is where the air is applied 
in setting the brakes, and the triple valve per- 
forms the triple duty of charging the auxiliary, 
applying the air to the brake cylinder and releas- 
ing the air from the brake cylinder. 

But before describing the air brpke let us draw 
a comparison with something that will help to 
fix in our mind what action ))nist take place in 
order to set the brake. 

The best thing to compare the air brake with 
in order to exemplify the principle on which it 
operates, is a bottle of soda pop, for the reason 
that gas is mixed with the soda when it is bot- 
tled. A bottle of champagne would make a 
better comparison, owing to the higher pressure 
with which the wine is bottled, but as it is a little 
too expensive for the average railroad man to 
become very familiar with, I will just use the 
ordinary bottle of soda pop. 

If you wanted to fill a glass with pop, the first 
thing 3'ou would have to do would be to break 
the wire that holds the cork, when the pressure 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 27 

in the bottle would force the cork out and let 
the soda flow into the glass. 

Therefore, figuratively speaking, the brake 
cylinder represents the glass, the auxiliary the 
bottle, the compressed air in the auxiliary the 
soda, the triple valve the cork and the trainpipe 
pressure the wire, and when you take the train- 
pipe pressure away from the triple (or break the 
wire that holds the cork), the pressure that is in 
the auxiliary forces the triple out and lets the 
air pass from the auxiliary into the brake cylin- 
der and sets the brake, by forcing the cylinder 
piston out against the levers, which in turn forces 
the shoes up against the wheels. 

By this you will understand that in order to 
set the brakes the pressure in the trainpipe 
must be reduced lower than that in the attxiliary^ 
otherwise the triple would not move and open 
the port between the auxiliary and brake 
cylinder. 

The Parts of the Plain Triple Valve consist of 
only six things, besides the casing which holds 
them all, and are shown in plate i (which shows 
the way the new plain triple now used for driver' 
brakes would look if it was cut in half), and they 
are designated as follows: 23 is called the triple 
piston; 24 is the slide valve; 25 is the graduating 



28 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

valve; 26 is the graduating stem, and 27 is the 
graduating spring; 32 is the U spring over the 
sHde valve. 

The casing is so shaped that one part of it 
forms a cylinder for the triple piston to move in, 
and is marked B, and adjoining it is a chamber 
having a flat side (called the slide valve seat), 
for the slide valve to slide on, and is marked C. 

The flat side of this chamber, which forms the 
seat on which the slide valve rests, has two ports 
cut through it; the one marked f leads to the 
brake cylinder, and the other, marked //, leads 
to the atmosphere. (See plate i.) 

In the slide valve there are also two ports; 
one passes clear through the valve, as shown by 
the letters /, p-p, and the other is a groove cut 
in the bottom of the valve, and marked ^, and 
when the valve is moved toward the left end of 
chamber C (in other words, moves down), the 
port through the valve marked p connects with 
the port in the seat marked y, so that the air in 
the auxiliary can pass through the valve and 
valve seat and on through pipe connection X 
directly into the brake cylinder; and when the 
slide valve is in the opposite end of chamber C 
the groove g in the bottom of the slide valve 
connects the two ports _/ and // together, so that 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 29 

one end of the groove rests directly over the 
port leading to the brake cylinder, and the other 
end rests over the port leading to the atmos- 
phere, thus forming a direct opening between 
the brake cylinder and the atmosphere; there- 
fore, as the triple is so connected to the auxiliary 
by pipe connection Y that the auxiliary pressure 
is always in direct communication with chamber 
Cy in which the slide valve moves, and as the 
port in the seat marked /^ is the only way for the 
air to get in or out of the brake cylinder, with 
this kind of a triple, it is very evident that when 
the slide valve is moved along on its seat until 
the port in the valve marked p-p comes opposite 
the port in the seat marked /, the air in the 
auxiliary is free to pass into the brake cylinder, 
and set the brake. And when the slide valve is 
forced back again to its original position, as 
shown in plate i, the air in the brake cylinder is 
free to pass out to the atmosphere through ports 
/, £•, /i and exhaust port k, and thereby release 
the brakes. Therefore, as the flow of air from 
the auxiliary to the brake cylinder, and from the 
brake cylinder to the atmosphere is dependent 
upon the movement of the slide valve, it is neces- 
sary that you next understand how this move- 
ment is accomplished. 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



To A^- 










PLATE NO. 1 — XEW STYLE PLAIN TRIPLE- VALVB. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 31 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE I — NEW DRIVER BRAKE 

PLAIN TRIPLE 

W is the tralnpipe connection. 
X is the cylinder connection. 
Y is the auxiUary connection. 

23. Triple piston and stem. 

24. Slide valve. 

25. Graduating valve. 

26. Graduating stem. 

27. Graduating spring. 

30. Triple piston packing ring. 
32. U, or slide valve spring. 
The air passages and ports are explained in 
tne text. 



3? MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

The stem of the triple piston extends into 
chamber C, in which the shde valve moves, and 
the valve is hung on this stem; there is a pack- 
ing ring (30) around the triple piston, making a 
tight joint against the walls of cylinder B, and as 
one end of this cylinder is always open to cham- 
ber C (which always contains auxiliary pressure) 
and the other end of cylinder B is always open 
to the trainpipe, you will at once see that the 
triple piston stands between the auxiliary and 
trainpipe pressure at all times, and if these 
pressures are equal, and the piston is in full 
release position, as shown in plate i, should the 
pressure on the trainpipe side of the piston 
become lower than that on the slide valve side, 
the piston would be moved by the auxiliary 
pressure, and of course draw the slide valve with 
it, causing the port in the valve marked / to 
come opposite the port in the seat marked/, and 
allow the air from the auxiliar>' to pass into the 
brake cylinder and set the brake. 

Now that the air is in the brake cylinder, the 
next point to learn is how to release the brake. 

To Release the Brake it is necessary' to force 
the slide valve back to the position it occupied 
before the brake was set, as shown in plate i. 

To do this we use the pressure stored in the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 33 

main reservoir, on the engine, for when the 
engineer places his brake valve in full release 
position the main reservoir pressure quickly 
raises the pressure on the trainpipe side of the 
triple piston and forces it back to the position 
shown in plate No. i, and, as the slide valve has 
to go back with it, the groove g in the bottom of 
the valve is placed so that one end of it rests 
over the port marked y in the valve seat, and the 
other end rests over the port marked h in the 
valve seat, consequently the air in the brake 
cylinder is free to pass out to the atmosphere 
through ports f, g, h and through a passage 
around the casing to the triple exhaust marked 
k. The air having thus escaped from the brake 
cylinder the heavy spring in the cylinder, marked 
9, in plate 7, drives the brake piston back from 
the levers, which allows the shoes to drop away 
from the wheels, and the brake is released. 

The whistling noise heard when the brakes 
are releasing on passenger cars is caused by the 
air escaping through the small ports in the triple 
(on freight cars the air exhausts through, the 
pressure-retaining valve on top of the car), and 
if this whistling is weak, when releasing after a 
full application has been made, it indicates that 
either a portion of the air has alread). escaped 



34 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

from the cylinder through a bad packing leather 
around the brake piston, or there is too much 
piston travel, which allowed the air to expand 
In the cylinder more than it should have done; 
in other words, a high pressure will rush out 
quicker than a low pressure, for, as you know, 
the faster wind blows the louder it whistles. 

RccJiargin^ the Auxiliary. — Having set the 
brakes and released them, it now becomes neces- 
sary to recharge the auxiliary reservoir, to be 
ready for the next application. 

You must keep in mind that the brake cyhn- 
der gets its power from the auxiliary, and the 
latter must always be kept charged ready to 
meet all demands made upon it by the cylinder. 
If the auxiliary is only partly charged, the force 
with which the brakes set will be correspond- 
ingly weak. 

Also remember that just as soon as the slide 
valve moves to let the air out of the brake cylin- 
der that in doing so the feed grooves between 
the trainpipe and auxiliary are opened to admit 
air again into the auxiliary. 

You will now look at plate i, and trace the 
course of the air from the trainpipe through the 
triple to the auxiliary. 

Begin at the point indicated by W, and follow 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 35 

the arrows; you will notice the air travels 
through a passage (a-a) in the casing, to a cham- 
ber indicated by A, and from this chamber there 
are two openings (^, cX which allow the air to 
pass into the cylinder in which the triple piston 
moves, as indicated by B. As the air passes 
from chamber A it strikes the plain side of the 
triple piston and forces it to the extreme end of 
cylinder B, and as the piston is supposed to be a 
tight fit in cylinder B, the only chance the air has 
to get into chamber C is by passing through a 
small groove cut in the wall of cylinder B, as 
indicated by m. This is called the "feed groove." 
As this groove m is only as long as the head of 
the piston is thick, you will at once see that the 
piston must be all the way back before the air 
can enter this groove; you will also notice that 
the piston only forms a seat about half way from 
its center to its outer edge; in other words, there 
is a shoulder on the slide valve side of the pis- 
ton, and this necessitates another groove to be 
cut in this shoulder, which is shown by the let- 
ter n. The air can now pass from cylinder B by 
way of the feed grooves, m and n, into chamber 
C, and over the top of the slide valve through 
the pipe connection Y into the auxiliary. 

In order, therefore, to make it plain to you 



36 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

how the auxiliary is charged to its proper pres- 
sure of seventy pounds to the square inch, we 
will just suppose that the pump on the engine 
(which, when modern brake valves are used, is 
controlled by the main reservoir pressure) will 
only pump up to seventy pounds pressure, and 
no more; in other words, the pump will keep 
working until all the space into which the com- 
pressed air from the pump is allowed to flow is 
filled to seventy pounds before it stops. 

If the space to be filled by the pump is merely 
the main reservoir, the pump will stop when the 
main reservoir is charged to seventy pounds, 
provided the governor is set at seventy; but if 
the engineer places the handle of his brake 
valve in position so that the air in the main reser- 
voir can flow direct into the trainpipe, it means 
that there is just that much more space to be 
filled before the pump will stop; then if the 
auxiliar>' is cut into the trainpipe, by opening 
the cut-out cock on the cross-over pipe, it means 
that there is still more space for the air to flow 
into, and as the pump will not stop until there is 
seventy pounds in the main reservoir, and as the 
main reservoir cannot get its seventy pounds 
until the trainpipe has its seventy pounds, and 
as the trainpipe cannot get its seventy pounds 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 37 

until the auxiliary gets its seventy pounds, it fol- 
lows that the pump will continue to work 
until the auxiliary, trainpipe and main reser- 
voir are all equally charged up to seventy 
pounds,, for the reason that air, like water, will 
continue to flow until it finds its level, and 
when we speak of the pressure being "equal- 
ized" we mean that they have come to a level 
with each other. 

Owing to the smallness of the feed groove in 
the triple through which the air passes to get 
into the auxiliary, the trainpipe will naturally 
fill quicker than the auxiliary, and cause the 
pump to stop temporarily, but as soon as the 
trainpipe pressure is again lowered by the air 
passing through the feed grooves into the aux- 
iliary, the pump will again start, and continue to 
compress air until every bit of space is filled to 
seventy pounds. 

If the main reservoir, trainpipe or auxiliary 
reservoir leaks, while the brake valve is in the 
position we are now speaking of, the pump will 
not stop at all, and a great many leaks will very 
soon wear a pump out. 

Right here I will mention a few important 
things to remember when charging up a train: 
first, leaks of any kind will prevent getting the 



38 MODERN AIRBRAKE PRACTICE 

required pressure in the time it should be got- 
ten, and bad leaks will prevent it entirely. 

Second, the strainer and feed grooves in the 
triple must be kept clean to allow the air to pass 
freely. 

Third, the packing ring around the triple pis- 
ton must be a good fit to prevent the auxiliary 
charging too rapidly, and to insure against 
charging too quickly is the reason for having a 
shoulder on the slide valve side of the piston, 
for if any air leaks around the packing ring it 
cannot enter the auxiliary except through the 
second feed groove, as shown by ;/ in plate i, 
unless the shoulder on the piston has a bad seat. 

A still greater reason for having the packing 
ring (30) tight, is to insure the brake against 
"sticking," as it will if the trainpipe pressure 
equalizes with the auxiliary without moving the 
slide valve. 

The reason for having the feed grooves so 
small in the triples is to allow all the auxiliaries 
on the train to charge as nearly together as pos- 
sible, and also to assist in making the triple 
sensitive to the slightest reduction of trainpipe 
pressure, for, if the feed groove was large, when 
the air was drawn from the trainpipe a con- 
siderable amount of air from the auxiliary would 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



39 



flow back into the trainpipe before the piston 
moved; but, as it is, the feed groove is so small 
and so short that it requires less than a two 
pound reduction to cause the triple, piston to 
move and shut off communication between the 
auxiliary and trainpipe. 

For the same reason (sensitiveness) the piston 
packing ring must have a good fit, or else the 
auxiliary and trainpipe pressures will equalize, 
and thereby fail to move the piston when desired 
in setting or releasing the brakes. This is espe- 
cially true on long trains. 

If everything was tight, and all the parts 
working as they should, and trainpipe pressure 
was kept constantly at seventy pounds, you could 
charge a one hundred car train as quickly as you 
could one car, as under such perfect condition 
the air will pass through the feed grooves at the 
rate of one pound a second, but as this is never 
the case in actual practice, it will take about five 
minutes to charge up a short train of ten cars, 
and about twelve to fifteen minutes for a train of 
thirty or forty cars, with comparatively no train- 
pipe leaks, and where there are leaks it natu- 
rally takes much longer. 

Always fight trainpipe leaks like you would a 
rattlesnake, as this trouble does more to pre- 



40 MODERN AIR-PRAKE PRACTICE 

vent the proper action of the brakes than any 
other one thing. 

So far I have only had occasion to speak of 
but one kind of an appHcation of the brakes, 
and that is "full service application"; but there 
are three kinds of applications, which will be 
full}^ explained in their proper place: one is 
called "full service application," one is called 
"partial sen'ice application," and the third is 
called "emergency application." 

As yet I have only described the duties of the 
triple piston and the slide valve, but there are 
four other parts to the plain triple that must 
now be explained to you. which you will see by 
again referring to plate i, and designated as 
follows: 

The graduating valve, which works in the slide 
valve, is marked 25; the graduating stem is 
marked 26, and the graduating spring which 
surrounds it and holds it to its seat is marked 27; 
the U spring is marked 32. Now let us see why 
we need these parts. 

The graduating valve is what enables us to 
make a partial service application, for without it 
the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir would be 
reduced much below that in the trainpipe, after 
a ten pound reduction, before the triple would 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 41 

lap itself, as there would be nothing to stop the 
fiow of air from the auxiliary into the brake 
cylinder, until the auxiliary pressure becomes 
low enough for the trainpipe pressure to over- 
come the friction on the seat of the slide valve; 
but with the graduating valve in good condition, 
when a reduction of say ten pounds is made on 
the trainpipe, the triple will automatically lap 
itself as soon as a fraction over ten pounds has 
left the auxiliary. 

This is done as follows: when the trainpipe 
pressure is reduced below that in the auxiliary 
the triple piston moves and carries with it the 
graduating valve, for, as you will see by looking 
at plate i, the graduating valve is connected 
directly to the stem of the triple piston by a 
small pin, as shown by the dotted lines, and, 
when the piston moves, the graduating valve is 
carried from its seat in the slide valve and opens 
port p, so that when the slide valve is in service 
position the auxiliary air can pass through the 
slide valve by way of ports / and p, then through 
port / in the seat of the slide valve and on 
through pipe connection X direct into the brake 
cylinder; as only ten pounds was drawn from the 
trainpipe, just as soon as a fraction over ten 
pounds flows from the auxiliary, the trainpipe 



42 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

pressure being now the strongest forces the 
triple piston towards the auxiliar>- end of its 
cylinder, but it can only force it a ver>' short 
distance, for the reason that the distance between 
the end of the slide valve and the shoulder on 
the stem of the piston is only three-sixteenths of 
an inch, and when the piston has moved this dis- 
tance it is stopped by the slide valve, because the 
auxiliary- pressure, aided by the U spring, is 
firmly holding the slide valve, on account of the 
friction being greater on the slide valve seat 
than it is around the edge of the triple piston, 
and when the piston is thus stopped by the slide 
valve, the graduating valve is now back on its 
seat, and no more air can flow from the auxiliary* 
into the brake c>*linder. until the trainpipe pres- 
sure is again reduced and the graduating valve 
again unseated by the movement of the triple 
piston. 

The slide valve does not move when the 
second reduction is made, but stands in the 
same position it assumed on the first reduction. 
Consequently, as soon as the graduating valve is 
unseated the air will again flow into the brake 
cylinder: but when the air in the brake c>'linder 
finally becomes as strong as it is in the auxiliar>* 
(or equalizes) the pressure in the auxiliary no 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 43 

longer falls below that in the trainpipe, and 
therefore the graduating valve remains off its 
seat, because the triple piston does not now 
move back as it did when the first reduction was 
made, as the pressure in. the trainpipe is now as 
low or lower than it is in the auxiliary, and the 
brakes are now fully applied. 

Hence we can make a full service application 
without the graduating valve, but we must have 
this valve in making a "partial service applica- 
tion." 

If the engineer simply wants to slow his train 
up, but does not want to come to a full stop, he 
can draw off any amount of air from the train- 
pipe he desires, and when he laps his brake 
valve, the triple valve will, by means of the 
graduating valve, let a corresponding amount of 
air from the auxiliary into the brake cylinder 
and automatically lap ports l-p-p in the slide 
valve, but if the engineer should draw his train- 
pipe pressure down below the point at which the 
auxiliary and brake cylinder equalize, he would 
not only be wasting the trainpipe pressure, but 
would have trouble when it came time for him 
to release his brakes as will be explained later 
on. 

We now understand what the graduating valve 



44 MODERN AIR-BRARE PRACTICE 

is for; now let us see what the graduating stem 
and spring has to do with it. 

As I have already mentioned, the third kind 
of an appHcation is called the "emergency." 
When this kind of .application is made it is 
only in case of danger, and therefore it is desired 
that the air in the auxiliary' should be passed 
into the brake cylinder as quickly as possible, 
and in order to do this it is necessary- to have 
the entire slide valve clear the port in the seat 
through which the air has to pass. 

In making ordinary stops this ver^^ quick 
action is not required, and in order to prevent 
the slide valve making the full stroke, there is a 
projection on the trainpipe side of the triple pis- 
ton which strikes against the graduating stem 
(26), and as this stem is held to its seat by the 
graduating spring (27), the strength of this spring 
combined with the pressure in the trainpipe 
causes the triple piston to stop, and in doing so 
the slide valve is held in such a position that 
port p W\n register with port f, and of course 
the brakes are applied gradually. 

But if the pressure in the trainpipe is reduced 
suddenly, the auxiliar}* pressure causes the triple 
piston to strike the graduating stem a hammer 
blow and overcomes the tension of the spring 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 45 

so that the slide valve entirely clears the port in 
the seat, and the auxiliary pressure immediately 
equalizes with the brake cylinder. (This refers 
to the plain triple. The emergency action of 
the quick-action triple will be described later 
on.) 

The U spring (32) is placed over the slide 
valve for the reason that if the brake is applied 
and all the air is let out of the trainpipe, and 
the car cut off from the engine, the brake could 
not be "bled" off by the release valve on the 
auxiliary if the slide valve could not be lifted off 
its seat by the brake cylinder pressure, but as 
there is a slight lift to the slide valve for this 
purpose, the U spring is required to reseat the 
valve, so that when the auxiliary is again 
recharged no air can get under the slide valve 
and pass out to the atmosphere through port h 
in the valve seat. 

If there is a great deal of oil on the slide valve 
seat it will prevent the slide valve from being 
forced up by brake cylinder pressure, when a 
single car is being "bled off," and the brake can- 
not be released at all until the air finally leaks 
out around the packing leather in the cylin- 
der. In such a case the release signal is very 
handy. 



46 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

THE WESTINGHOUSE QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE VALVE 

So far I have only spoken of the plain triple, 
but as all cars are now supposed to be equipped 
with the "quick-action triple" we will next ascer- 
tain what is the difference between the two kinds 
of triples, and what the advantage is in having 
the quick-action triple. 

When an engineer applies the brakes he has 
to draw the trainpipe pressure down by letting 
it escape to the atmosphere through a port in 
the brake valve, and as the triple pistons will 
not move until the trainpipe pressure is reduced 
below that in the auxiliary' reservoirs, it naturally 
follows that on a train, of say thirty cars, equipped 
with plain triples, the brakes on the head end 
will set before the ones on the rear end, for the 
reason that the air in the front end of the train- 
pipe has to get out of the way before the air in 
the rear end can escape, and whenever the pres- 
sure on the trainpipe side of any triple is re- 
duced lower than the auxiliary side, that triple 
will move and set the brake at once, and the 
main difference between the plain and quick- 
action triple is that the trainpipe pressure can 
be reduced faster with a "quick-action" triple 
than it can with a plain one, and consequently 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 47 

the brakes on a long train can be applied more 
rapidly with "quick-action" triples. 

To make this plain to you, suppose you were 
In a crowded opera house and a cry of "fire" 
was heard, as it recently happened in Chicago, 
everybody would make a rush for the front door 
at once, but as the door would only let so many 
out at a time, those in the rear would have to 
wait until those in front got out first, and if it 
was a bad fire the result would be a horrible 
catastrophe. This refers to the plain triple. 

Now suppose that the opera house was so 
built that in addition to the regular front 
entrance there was another big door in the side 
of the building which opened into a large hall, 
then when the cry of fire was heard a portion of 
the audience would escape through the regular 
front entrance and the others would get out 
through the side door, thus emptying the burn- 
ing building so quickly that everybody is saved. 
This refers to the quick-action triple, for with 
the plain triple there is but one way of getting 
the trainpipe pressure away from the triple pis- 
ton, and that is through the brake valve (the 
front door), but with the quick-action triple there 
is an extra outlet through which the trainpipe 
pressure can escape when an emergency appli- 



48 MODERN AlR-BKAlvL PRACTICE 



Tw AozBIvy 



Id QnkA CTltate 




"W^. 



PLATE NO. 2— QriCK-ACnOX TRIPLE IN RELEASE AND CHARGING 

POSITION. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 49 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 2 — QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE 
VALVE, RELEASE AND CHARGING POSITION 

A. Trainpipe connection. 

B. Auxiliary reservoir connection. 

C. Cylinder connection. 

3. Slide valve. 

4. Triple piston and stem. 

5. Triple piston packing ring. 

6. U or slide valve spring. 

7. Graduating valve. 

8. Emergency valve piston. 

Q. Emergency valve seat and guide. 

10. Rubber seated emergency valve. 

12. Check valve spring. 

14. Check gasket. 

15. Check valve. 

21. Graduating stem. 

22. Graduating spring. 

23. Triple gasket. 

The air passages and ports are described in the 
text. The feed groove, i, is now open. 



50 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

cation is made, and thus cause the brakes on the 
entire train to be applied in about two seconds. 
This extra outlet is called the "emergency 
valve," and will be explained when I describe 
plate 5. 

The parts contained in the quick-action triple 
which are not in the plain one, are shown in 
plates 2, 3, 4 and 5. and are indicated as follows: 
The emergency piston is marked 8; the guide 
for this piston, which also forms a seat for the 
emergency valve, is marked g; the emergency 
valve is 10: the check-valve spring is 12; the 
check valve is 15, and the gasket which sep- 
arates chamber X from chamber Y is marked 14. 
This gasket, you will notice, extends clear across 
the triple, but a portion of it is cut away just 
over the emergency valve, so that when that 
valve is unseated, as it is in an emergency appli- 
cation, the air in chamber Y can pass into cham- 
ber X and the brake cylinder, and another hole 
is cut in this same gasket at e, so that the train- 
pipe pressure, which enters the triple at A, can 
pass freely into chambers,/ and //. 

PLATE 2 — QUICK -ACTION TRIPLE IN RELEASE AND 
CHARGING POSITION 

The quick -action triple has five positions: 
release, charging, service, lap and emergency. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



51 



Release and charging positions are really one 
and the same, and are shown in plate 2. While 
the air is being released from the brake cylinder 
b}^ way of the ports in the slide valve seat, etc., 
as previously described in plate i, the auxiliary 
is being charged by way of the feed grooves 
described in plate i as m and n, but in plate 2 
they are marked i and k. 

In plate 2 .you will observe that a different set 
of figures and letters are used from those 
employed in plate i, to point out the different 
ports, etc., but this need not worry you, for, as 
the poet says, *'a rose by any other name would 
smell just as sweet," and whether you call it 
cylinder h, as in plate 2, or B, as in plate i, you 
know that it is the cylinder in which the triple 
piston moves. So, to clear you up on this point, 
notice that in plate 2 the trainpipe connection 
to the triple is marked A, while in plate i it 
is W. Now look at the arrows in plate 2 and 
you will see that after the air enters the triple at 
A it passes through a passage in the casing, the 
same as in plate i, to a chamber having two 
openings into the cylinder containing the triple 
piston, just like plate i, and from this cylinder 
the air passes through the same two feed 
grooves that in plate i are marked m and Uy but 



52 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

in plate 2 are marked / and /', on into the slide- 
valve chamber, and instead of entering the aux- 
iliary at the pipe connection Y, as in plate i, it 
passes right on through the slide-valve chamber 
into the auxiliary, so you see whether it is a 
plain or quick-action triple the auxiliary pres- 
sure is always on the slide-valve side of the 
triple piston, and trainpipe pressure is on the 
opposite side. 

Having familiarized yourself with the parts of 
the triple as described in plate i, you will see by 
plate 2 that the same parts are contained in the 
quick-action triple, and perform the same duties, 
so that the only difference between the two 
kinds of triples is the emergency attachment 
(which I have explained by reference to I'igs. 
8, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 15), and in charging an aux- 
iliary or releasing a brake the air has to travel 
the same routes whether a plain or quick-action 
triple is used, but in setting the brakes in emer- 
gency is where the difference comes in between 
the two kinds of triples. (See plate 5.) 

PLATE 3 — SERVICE rOSITION OF QUICK-ACTION 
TRIPLE VALVE 

In this position you will notice that the triple 
piston has moved in its cylinder until the projec- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 53 

tion/ strikes against the graduating stem, which 
stops it, and in making this movement the stem 
of the piston has drawn the sHde valve to a posi- 
tion which places the port marked w, z-z in 
register with the port in the seat marked r, thus 
allowing the auxiliary pressure to pass into the 
brake cylinder through pipe connection C and 
set the brake. (If this is not perfectly clear to 
you, read again vv^hat I said about setting the 
brakes in my description of plate i.) 

PLATE 4 — LAP POSITION OF QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE 

Lap position means that all ports are closed, 
and the reason why the triple automatically laps 
itself is due to the fact that when the slide valve 
is moved to service position the graduating 
valve is held off its seat at w by the triple pis- 
ton and when the pressure in the auxiliary 
becomes a little less than trainpipe pressure the 
piston is forced back by the trainpipe pressure 
until the graduating valve strikes its seat in the 
slide valve, and stops the flow of the auxiliary 
air into the brake cylinder. 

The reason the slide valve is not moved when 
the graduating valve moves is because the aux- 
iliary and trainpipe pressures are so nearly 
equal that the friction of the slide-valve seat, 



54 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




PLATE N'O. 3 QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE IN' SER"\nCE POSITION. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



55 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 3 — QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE 
VALVE, SERVICE POSITION 

A. Trainpipe connection. 

B. Auxiliary reservoir connection. 

C. Cylinder connection. 

3. Slide valve. 

4. Triple piston and stem. 

5. Triple piston packing ring. 

6. U or slide valve spring. 

7. Graduating valve. 

8. Emergency valve piston. 

Q. Emergency valve seat and guide. 

10. Rubber seated emergency valve. 

12. Check valve spring. 

14. Check gasket. 

15. Check valve. 

21. Graduating stem. 

22. Graduating spring. 

23. Triple gasket. 

The feed port, 2, is now closed. 



;.6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PR.ACTICE 



^Sk. 




FIATK 3iO. 4 QUICK- ACTIOS TRIPLE IX LAP POSITTOH. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 5? 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 4 — QUICK-ACTION TRIPLF 
VALVE, LAP POSITION 

A. Trainpipe connection. 

B. Auxiliary reservoir connection. 

C. Cylinder connection. 

3. Slide valve. 

4. Triple piston and stem. 

5. Triple piston packing ring. 

6. U or slide valve spring. 

7. Graduating valve. 

8. Emergency valve piston. 

9. Emergency valve seat and guidco 
10. Rubber seated emergency valvCo 
12. Check valve spring. 

14. Check gasket. 

15. Check valve. 

21. Graduating stem. * 

22. Graduating spring. 

23. Triple gasket. 

All ports are now closed. 



58 Modern air-brake practice 

combined with the tension of the sHde valve 
spring (marked 6, in plate 5), prevents it, and as 
this keeps the exhaust port closed, and the posi- 
tion of the triple piston keeps feed groove / 
closed, all ports are now closed and the valve is 
said to be on lap. 

Remember, the triple will not lap itself unless 
the auxiliary pressure has a chance to get lower 
than trainpipe pressure, which means that if an 
engineer reduces his trainpipe pressure below 
the point at which the auxiliary and brake- 
cylinder pressures equalize, the only means of 
holding the air in the brake cylinder (aside from 
the packing leather around the brake piston and 
the closing of the triple exhaust) is the check 
valve (15), or the packing ring (30) of the triple 
piston, for while it is true that the piston would 
seat against gasket 23, still this gasket so soon 
becomes hard that it cannot be relied upon to 
stop the auxiliary pressure from flowing back 
into the trainpipe. 

The reason the check valve has to be depended 
upon to keep the brake-c^^linder pressure from 
flowing back into the trainpipe, after an extra 
heavy reduction has been made, is because nine 
times out of ten the air in chamber Y will reduce 
as fast as the trainpipe pressure is reduced, on 



ITS USE AND ABUSE g^ 

account of the volume in Y being so small that 
the slightest possible leak in the seat of the 
check valve will let it out, and after the train- 
pipe pressure has been drawn down sufficient to 
allow the auxiliary and brake cylinder to equal- 
ize, the leak from chamber Y is supplied by the 
brake cylinder, for whenever the pressure in Y 
becomes less than that in the brake cylinder the' 
emergency valve (lo) is forced off its seat by the 
brake-cylinder pressure until it equalizes again 
with chamber Y, when the spring (12) reseats 
valve 10, which is done very quickly, conse- 
quently if the trainpipe pressure was entirely 
exhausted and the check valve leaked very bad 
the brake cylinder would very quickly be robbed 
of its pressure, and let the brake off. It is, 
therefore, very bad practice to ever reduce the 
trainpipe pressure below the point at which the 
auxiliary and brake cylinder equalizes, except in 
an emergency. 

In making an emergency application the check 
valve is raised off its seat 120 times a second. 

PLATE 5 — EMERGENCY POSITION OF QUICK-ACTION 

TRIPLE VALVE 

A sudden reduction of trainpipe pressure is 
necessary to cause the triple to assume emer- 
gency position. 



6o MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



ID 




24 






A 



n 




IblsaaF^- 



PLATE NO 5 QUlCK-ACnOX TRIPLE IX EMEBGEXC^ POSITK 



»N. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 6i 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 5 — QUICK-ACTION TRIPLE 
VALVE, EMERGENCY POSITION 

A. Trainpipe connection. 

B. Auxiliary reservoir connection. 

C. Cylinder connection. 

3. Slide valve. 

4. Triple piston and stem. 

5. Triple piston packing ring. 

6. U or slide valve spring. 

7. Graduating valve. 

8. Emergency valve piston. 

9. Emergency valve seat and guidco 
10. Rubber seated emergency valvCo 
12. Check valve spring. 

14. Check gasket. 

15. Check valve. 

21. Graduating stem. 

22. Graduating spring. 
2'}). Triple gasket. 



62 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

When a sudden reduction is made it causes 
the triple piston (4) to strike the graduating stem 
(21) such a hammer blow that the graduating 
spring (22) is unable to stop it from making its 
full stroke, and as it has now traveled further 
than it did in service position, the slide valve 
has also been moved a correspondingly greater 
distance on its seat, which brings a big slot, or in 
some triples, a removed corner (not shown) in 
the slide valve over a port in the seat (indicated 
by dotted lines behind port Z), and allows the 
auxiliary pressure to fall on the emergency pis- 
ton (8), which strikes the stem of valve 10 and 
forces it from its seat (which is kept closed by 
spring 12 and the trainpipe pressure in Y), and 
valve 10 being thus unseated, the air from Y 
rushes into the brake cylinder. 

As all this is done so very quickly that the 
trainpipe pressure has as yet reduced but very 
little, the remaining trainpipe pressure forces 
the check valve up and also rushes into the 
brake cylinder until it equalizes with what is left 
in the trainpipe, when spring 12 reseats the 
check valve, preventing the air in the brake 
cylinder from flowing back into the trainpipe. 

At the same time that the big slot in the back 
of the slide valve reached its position over the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 63 

port in the seat leading to the emergency piston, 
another small port in the slide valve, marked S 
in plate 4, is placed in register with port r in the 
valve seat, taking the place of port Z, which 
allows the auxiliary pressure to flow into the 
brake cylinder on top of what went in from the 
trainpipe. 

The opening around the emergency valve is so 
much larger than port S in the slide valve that 
virtually no air enters the brake cylinder from 
the auxiliary until the check valve closes on the 
charge received from the trainpipe. 

It is this air from the trainpipe that gives the 
added percentage of brake power after an 
emergency application; for the air which enters 
the brake cylinder from the trainpipe has the 
same effect as shortening the piston travel, 
because it forces the auxiliary pressure to equal- 
ize just that much higher than it would if the 
brake cylinder was empty* when the auxiliary 
pressure started to flow into it. 

On account of the trainpipe pressure having 
two outlets (one by way of the brake valve, and 
the other by way of valve 10) when an emer- 
gency application is made, it is reduced so sud- 
denly that the next triple is thrown into quick 
action, because the pressure that was holding 



64 MODERN AlR-BRAKi:: PRACTICE 



''O AMUJlaAV «i 




PLATE NO. 6 — PLjUN TRIPLE VALVE. (OLD STYLE.) 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 65 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 6 — PLAIN TRIPLE VALVE, 
RELEASE POSITION (OLD STYLE) 

W. Trainpipe connection. 

X. Cylinder connection. 

Y. Auxiliary reservoir connection. 
15. Handle of cut-out plug 13. 
18. Slide valve. 

5. Triple piston. 

7. Graduating valve. 

8. Graduating stem. 

9. Graduating spring. 



.36 MODERN AIR-BRAfCE PRACTICE 

that triple to release position immediately rushes 
back into the empty space just created in the 
trainpipe by the first reduction, and as it can't 
be in both places at the same time, the triple is 
left without sufficient trainpipe pressure to hold 
it, when the pressure on the auxiliary side of 
that triple piston drives it to emergency position, 
which in turn creates a vacancy in the train- 
pipe on that car which the next car tries to fill, 
and so on, till all the brakes on the entire train 
are set in emergency, and it ail happens so quick 
that the triples on a train of fifty cars can be 
thrown into quick action in about two seconds. 

PLATE 6 — PLAIN TRIPLE, OLD STYLE 

This plate illustrates the common form of 
plain triple, and before the advent of the quick- 
action triple, it was the standard for passenger 
cars. It is now sometimes used on driver and ten- 
der brakes having cylinders of ten inches, or 
less; but with larger cylinders the new plain 
triple, as shown in plate i, is used. 

The principal difference between these two 
kinds of plain triples is the arrangement of the 
cut-out cock. In plate 6 \ou will notice that the 
cut-out cock is attached right to the triple, and 
by turning the handle, which controls plug 13, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 67 

you can make the triple work "automatic" by 
placing it horizontal, and to cut it out place it at 
an angle of forty-five degrees; to make it work 
"straight air" place the handle perpendicular, for 
then plug 13 is turned so that the end of the 
passage which is shown to be in register with 
port d, would then be in register with port a, 
and the other end of e would register with d^ 
which would allow trainpipe pressure to flow 
direct into the brake cylinder through ports a, 
e and d\ in. other words, the triple valve proper 
and auxiliary reservoir would not be used when 
the handle was turned for "straight air." This 
is so seldom done nowadays that there is 
a lug cast on the handles of all such plain 
triples to prevent cutting them in straight 
air. 

When it becomes necessary to bleed off a 
brake that is set with a plain triple of this kind, 
drain the auxiliary before closing the cut-out 
cock, for, when cut out, the position of the pas- 
sage is changed so that the air in the brake 
cylinder cannot escape through the triple 
exhaust. 

With the new plain triple, plate i, the cut-out 
cock is on the pipe leading from the triple to the 
brake cylinder. The ports in this triple ar^ 



68 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

made large to accommodate a large volume of 
air. 

In the new plain triple the ports are neces- 
sarily larger, on account of handling a greater 
volume of air. 

PLATE 7 — TRIPLE VALVE. AUXILL\RV RESERVOIR 
AND BRAKE CYLINDER COMBINED 

This plate illustrates a freight equipment. 
The brake cylinder (2) is bolted directly to 
the auxiliary reservoir (10), and while the 
supply pipe U) runs through the auxiliary 
and into the cylinder, still the air in the 
auxiliar>' cannot get into the cylinder except 
by way of the ports in the triple, as pre- 
viously described, for the left end of pipe 
d is connected with the triple at C, as shown 
in plate 4. 

The orasket between the auxiliar\' and 
brake cylinder is not for the purpose of 
separating them, but is to make the cylinder 
air-tight at that end, and when the brakes 
are set the other end of the cylinder is 
made air-tight by the packing leather (7) 
around the piston head (3.) which is held 
to its place by the expansion ring (8) and 
follower (6). Spring 6 is to force the pis- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 69 

ton back when the air is let out of the 
cylinder. 

To prevent the brakes from setting on ac- 
count of trainpipe leaks, there is a small leak- 
age groove (a) cut in the wall of the cyl- 
inder for about three inches from the extreme 
left end, or pressure head, so that any small 
amount of air that might be let into the cylinder 
through the triple, from any cause, would 
escape to the atmosphere, instead of pushing 
the piston out, by passing through tne leak- 
age groove by the piston head, and out around 
piston 3. 

Tke Release Valve (17) or ''bleeder," is for 
the purpose of drawing the air from the 
auxiliary, and when a car is set out, and 
especially when a brake is cut out, the release 
valve should be held open until all the air 
in the auxiliary has escaped, for if any air is left 
in it the brake will again set whenever the 
trainpipe pressure is reduced lower than that 
in the auxiliary. Whenever a brake cannot be 
released from the engine, but has to be ''bled 
off," either at the auxiliary, or by the release 
signal valve inside of the car, always cut that 
brake out at the first opportunity and drain the 
auxiliary. 



yo MODERN AIR-BRA^E PRACTICE 






1 

-i 



1 _^^F 



r- 



fl^TE * — 






ITS USE AND ABUSE 71 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 7 — TRIPLE VALVE, AUX- 
ILIARY RESERVOIR AND BRAKE 
CYLINDER COMBINED 

2. Brake cylinder. 

3. Brake piston. 

4. Non-pressure head of brake cylinder. 

6. Follower. 

7. Packing leather. 

8. Expansion ring. 

9. Release spring. 

10. Auxiliary reservoir. 

11. Drain plug. 

17. Release valve (or bleed cock). 

a. Leakage groove. 

b. Supply pipe, between triple and cylinder. 



72 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

More money Is paid out annuall}' by railroad 
companies on account of freight wrecks caused 
by bleeding off "stuck" brakes than would pay 
for a tolerably good railroad, for the reason that 
where a car is not equipped with a release sig- 
nal on top, and a brakeman bleeds the auxiliary 
as the train is pulling out and then climbs 
aboard, that brake is almost sure to stick again, 
while the train is moving too fast to allow the 
brakeman to get at the auxiliary bleed cock, and 
as a consequence the wheels are either flattened, 
draw-heads pulled out, train stalled, or the 
w^heels become overheated, so that they burst 
and wreck the train. Where cars are equipped 
with the new release signal the brakeman can 
keep a brake off that is inclined to stick, until 
the train is in a safe position to allow him to get 
down and cut the brake out. 

If the auxiliary release valve leaks and it can- 
not be stopped by one or two quick jerks, to dis- 
lodge the dirt that is causing it to leak, cut the 
brake out, as no air can accumulate in the aux- 
iliary, thus making that brake worthless, but the 
leak is drawing air from the trainpipe, which 
affects the rest of the brakes. Should the 
release valve become clogged so that no air 
could be drawn through it, you can remove the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 73 

drain plug (11) in the under side of the auxiliary. 
This plug will not have to be removed, of course, 
where a car is equipped with the release signal 
as the brake cylinder can be emptied independ- 
ent of the action of the triple, by simply pressing 
down on the valve of the release signal. 

PLATE 8 — PRESSURE-RETAINING VALVE 

Many enginemen and trainmen utterly fail to 
realize the importance of this little device, and 
in view of the wonderful aid it is to handling 
trains down heavy grades, it is surprising that, 
by the average man, it is less understood than 
almost any part of the equipment. 

A true story is told of an engineer who had 
just made a stop at the foot of a heavy grade on 
which the brakeman had turned up a few 
"retainers," and just as he was about to pull out, 
the brakeman asked if he should turn the 
retainers down, when the engineer "hollered" 
back, "No, you needn't mind, I can kick 'em off 
with my brake valve." 

Now let us see if he could kick them off. In 
the first place a retaining valve, as the name 
implies, is for the purpose of retaining a certain 
amount of pressure in the brake cylinder after 
the triple valve has been moved to release posi- 



74 MODERN AIR-BRAKP: PRACTICE 

tion. It is simply a cork for the triple exhaust, 
and when you look at plate 8 you will readily 
understand this. 

Into the triple exhaust a small pipe is attached 
and extends from the triple to the top of the car 
at the end where the hand-brake staff is, and 
onto this pipe is attached the retaining valve at 
the connection marked X. The handle (5) con- 
trols a plug (6) similar to the cut-out plug (13) in 
the plain triple. W^hen the handle is turaed as 
you see it in plate 8, port c through the plug is 
in register with port b-b, and the air which 
comes from the triple exhaust is forced against 
the seat of the valve 4, which raises and allows 
the pressure to escape to the atmosphere 
through port d. As port d is controlled by 
valve 4, the air will exhaust onl}- while this 
valve is up, and as the weight of the valve, com- 
bined with the size of the ports, requires a pres- 
sure of fifteen pounds to keep it up, just as soon 
as the pressure in the brake cylinder has been 
reduced to a fraction less than fifteen pounds to 
the square inch, the valve will seat and retain 
the remaining pressure in the brake cylinder 
until the handle is turned down. When the 
handle is turned down it brings port a in register 
with the lower part of b, and port c i$ turned to 



J.TS USE AND ABUSE 



75 




American JUaohinist 



PLATE NO. 8— PRESSURE-RETAINING VALVE, 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 8 — PRESSURE-RETAINING 
VALVE, IN RETAINING POSITION 

X. Triple exhaust connection. 

4. Retaining valve weight. 

5. Handle. 

6. Cut-out plug. 



76 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

register with port c, and thereby allows all the 
air in the brake cylinder to escape to the atmos- 
phere. 

Therefore if the handle of the retainer is kept 
turned down the engineer can release the brakes 
from the engine, but if the handle is turned up 
(unless the brake leaks off) it will stay set until 
the handle is turned down. 

Retainers were formerly made to hold only 
ten pounds in the brake cylinder, but are now 
made to hold fifteen or fifty pounds. 

With the retainer handle turned up, the 
second application of the brakes will give a 
much higher brake - cylinder pressure, if the 
auxiliary has been allowed time enough to 
recharge, because the pressure that is already 
in the cylinder will force the auxiliary to equal- 
ize much higher than it would if the cylinder 
was empty to start with (in the same manner 
that the emergency application causes an added 
pressure on account of the trainpipe pressure 
entering the cylinder before the auxiliary pres- 
sure has a chance to get inj. P^or this reason it 
is best to apply the brakes and recharge the 
auxiliaries as soon as possible after passing the 
summit of a mountain grade, and besides it 
gives an increased reserve of brake power. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 77 

THE AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER 

The question of correct piston-travel is of the 
highest importance, and the automatic slack 
adjuster is for the purpose of keeping it as 
nearly uniform as possible, which should be 
eight inches when running. 

PLATE 9 — SLACK ADJUSTER COMPLETE 

Plate 9 shows how the adjuster is attached to 
the pressure head of the brake cylinder. One 
end of cylinder lever (5) is bolted to a cross 
head, which moves in a guide (4) that is bolted 
to the pressure head of the cylinder. The cross 
head is held to its place by a threaded rod (i), 
which has a ratchet nut where its opposite end 
extends thi'ough the adjuster body (3), and when 
it is desired to reduce the piston travel, it is done 
by moving the cross head away from the cylin- 
der head a distance equal to the amount of slack 
to be taken up; and to increase the travel move 
the cross head tozuard the cylinder. 

When no air is in the cylinder the threaded 
rod can be turned either way with a wrench, 
and four turns of the rod will equal one inch of 
piston travel. 

In running along, whenever the piston travel 
exceeds eight inches the adjuster automatically 



78 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




PLATE NO. 9 — AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER, OOfflPLETE 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 79 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 9 

5. Cylinder lever. 

1. Threaded rod. 

3. Ratchet-nut wheel casing. 

2. Adjuster cylinder. 

a and d. Pipe connection between brake cylin- 
der and adjuster cylinder. 



go MODERN AIR-BRARK PRACTICE 




PLATE NO. 10. — AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 8l 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE lO 

27. Ratchet-nut wheel. 

22. Pawl. 

a. Projection for lifting pawl. 

23. Piston. 

21. Release spring. 



82 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACl ICE 

takes up one thirty-second of an inch every time 
the brake is released, and therefore whenever 
new shoes are put on (which necessitates letting 
the adjuster well back), the brake should be fully 
applied and whatever travel the piston shows 
over dYi inches should be taken up by turning 
the ratchet nut, as the running piston travel is 
from one to two inches greater than it is when 
the car is standing still. 

Don't tr}- to turn the ratchet nut while the 
brake is set, and never alter the dead levers or 
bottom rods unless, with all adjuster slack ou., 
the piston-travel is less than 5^2 inches, or when 
the adjuster has been taken up to its limit and 
the travel is too lonj^, and not then in the latter 
case if any brake shoes need renewing. 

Plate 10 illustrates the adjuster in cross sec- 
tion. 27 is the ratchet nut which is attached to 
the threaded rod; 22 is the pawl which moves 
the ratchet nut; 22, is the piston, to which the 
pawl is attached, and 21 is the spring which 
drives the piston back after the cylinder pres- 
•jure has escaped from in front of it, and as the 
adjuster cylinder is connected to the brake 
cylinder by a small pipe, whenever the air in the 
brake cylinder forces the brake piston out eight 
inches, brake-cylinder pressure is admitted 



ITS USE AND ABUSE $3 

against piston 23, which forces the pawl back so 
that it engages the ratchet-nut wheel, and when 
the air is released from the brake cylinder the 
air in the adjuster cylinder (11) escapes through 
the non-pressure end of the brake cylinder, and 
spring 21 pushes the piston and pawl forward, 
thus turning the ratchet-nut wheel the distance 
of two teeth, which takes up one thirty-second 
of an inch of piston-travel. The pawl is released 
by striking a projection (a), which keeps it up. 

Plate II illustrates the degree of angularity at 
which the port in the brake cylinder should be 
tapped according to the size of the cylinder. As 
this port is only one-eighth of an inch, it may 
easily become clogged, so that if the adjuster 
fails to work you should at once ascertain if the 
air passages are open between the brake and 
adjuster cylinders by loosening the union swivel 
on the adjuster cylinder connection. 

Whenever the adjuster has operated to the 
limit of the screw and the pawl fails to release, 
so that the ratchet-nut cannot be started back 
with a wrench, if it be the old style adjuster, 
remove the ratchet nut cover and carefully pry 
the piston outward until the pawl can be raised, 
then slack back the nut about a turn, which will 
let the piston return to the end of its cylinder 



S4 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



PORT.TO BE.sf FROM. PRESSURE HEAD. 




PLATE NO. 11. — AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER SIZE OF 

CYLINDER PORT. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE I I 

The illustration shows the angularity at which 
th(i brake-cylinder port should be drilled for the 
different sized cylinders, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 85 

and keep the pawl free from the ratchet nut as 
before. 

An improvement has lately been added by 
Inserting a stop screw next to the ratchet-nut 
casing, which holds the threaded rod a short dis- 
tance from its extreme travel, so that in case the 
pawl sticks it is only necessary to back out the 
stop screw, when the pawl will release itself auto- 
matically. The adjuster cylinder should be cleaned 
and oiled every time the brake cylinder is oiled. 

PLATES 12 AND 13 — THE CAR CONTROL VALVE AND 

RELEASE SIGNAL 

As the high-speed brake and the automatic 
slack adjuster have both become necessary as the 
result of changed conditions in the operating of 
railroads, in like manner, owing to the great in- 
crease of railroad traffic and other conditions, the 
Car Control Valve and Release Signal have also 
become a necessity, when the savingof time, prop- 
erty and human life are taken into account. Rail- 
roads today are not only running very heavy trains, 
but are running many of them, and, on some 
roads, they are vastly too close together for the 
comfort of the train crews who have to operate 
them. As long as railroads are compelled to 
employ new men and as long as many of the 



S6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

older employes continue to be indifferent to the 
proper care, maintenance and operation of 
the air-brake equipment, just so long will we 
continue to have dangerous delays to trains, 
damage to merchandise and rolling stock, and 
frequent taking of human life, as the direct 
result of bad handling or bad condition of the 
air brakes. 

The question of keeping the brakes in good 
. order is a continually growing trouble, and to 
know for a certainty that they are in good con- 
dition is of vital importance. 

The new device which is meant to largely 
overcome these distressing conditions is known 
as the Car Control Valve and Automatic Release 
Signal, shown in plates Xo. 12 and No. 13. 

As the automatic reducing valve of the high 
speed brake is attached to the brake cylinder 
and as the automatic slack adjuster is also oper- 
ated by brake-cylinder pressure, in like manner 
the release signal is also connected to the brake 
cylinder, so that whenever there is air in the 
brake cylinder that fact is instantly made known 
by the release signal target. 

The release signal is composed of a cylinder 
in which is contained a piston, piston-rod and 
return spring, being in reality a miniature of the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 2>J 

brake cylinder, with this difference: the cylinder 
of Style A Signal has a square metal signal 
fastened to it, so that whenever the brake-cylinder 
pressure causes the brake to apply, the same pres- 
sure forces the release signal cylinder up, so 
that the metal signal is brought to full view of 
the trainmen, thereby signaling them that 
the brake on that car is set. When the 
engineer releases the brake and the brake 
cylinder is empty, there is then no pressure 
under the release signal piston, and the return 
spring forces the metal signal down out of 
sight. Should the engineer be testing brakes, 
and, while the brakes were being held on, 
if the release signal should be seen to grad- 
ually drop, it would mean that the brake on that 
car was in bad order, for the signal would 
not go down unless the air was escaping from 
the brake cylinder. Should a signal be seen to 
drop and no air was found to be coming out 
through the retaining valve, or triple exhaust, it 
would mean that the brake was "leaking" off, but 
if the signal dropped and at the same time air 
was heard to be escaping through the retainer, 
or triple exhaust, it would mean that the 
brake was ''releasing" through the triple. This 
point is very important to remember, for if a 



88 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

brake "releases" when it should stay set, the 
triple valve, or auxiliary gasket, or auxiliary 
release valve needs attention. But, if a brake 
"leaks" off, the packing leather in the brake 
C34inder needs oiling. Therefore, if you report 
a defective brake as having leaked off, the 
repairman will know at once what to do and 
thereby save considerable time. 

Should the signal remain up after the engineer 
has released the rest of the brakes, it means that 
the triple on that car is unfit for service, and 
should this happen while the train is in motion 
serious trouble is likely to follow. But, as the 
piston-rod of the release signal is made of a piece 
of pipe, and as there is a valve on the signal, 
the brakeman can, by simply opening up the 
valve, drain the brake cylinder independently of 
the action of the triple without stopping the 
train and without getting off. 

Should a brake have too much piston-travel 
the release signal will indicate it, for with the 
proper piston-travel and an auxiliary pressure of 
seventy pounds, a twenty-pound trainpipe reduc- 
tion will cause the signal to go to its full stroke, 
but the same reduction with too much piston- 
travel will cause the signal to stop at half-mast. 
This slopping at half-mast is caused by reason 



ITS USE AND ABUSE gq 

of the tension of the return spring, combined 
with the lowered pressure in the brake cylinder. 

The release signal is located in the most con- 
venient place on the inside end of passenger 
coaches, usually on the wall of the toilet room. 
There is a metallic casing into which the signal 
drops when no air is in the brake cylinder, but 
every time the brake sets the signal is raised 
above the top of the case, so that it can be seen 
from either end of the car. For instance, when 
the brakes are being tested at terminal points, or 
when any change has been made in the make-up 
of the train by setting out or picking up cars, the 
action of the release signal will notify every one 
alike just what condition the brakes are in. 

The release signal needs no more attention 
than is ordinarily given to the retaining valve, 
as it is so simple in construction that it is almost 
impossible for it to get out of order. It needs 
but little oiling, as the oil from the brake cylinder 
is usually sufficient to care for the one-inch piston 
in the release signal cylinder. 

The Dukesmith Car Control Valve performs 
three functions, namely, it applies the brake, re- 
tains the brake or releases the brake when the 
triple fails to go to release position. 

The Car Control Valve is located in the same 



go MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

position as the old style conductor's valve, and 
performs the same service, in addition to the 
other two just mentioned. 

There are three pipe connections to the Car 
Control \^alve as follows: one from the trainpipe, 
one from the triple exhaust and one from the brake 
cylinder direct. There are four positions on the 
valve which are: Normal. Lap, Release and 
Emergency Application. When the handle is in 
normal position all ports except the triple exhaust 
are closed; when the handle is in lap position all 
ports are closed, thereby retaining the pressure 
in the brake cylinder; when the handle is in full 
release it exhausts the air from the brake cylinder 
direct without regard to the triple valve, and 
when the handle is in emergency application posi- 
tion all exhaust ports are closed excepting the 
trainpipe exhaust, which causes the brakes to ap- 
ply. With this valve the brakes can be applied 
gradually or in emergency, according to the 
quickness with which the handle is moved. 

There is nothing about this valve to get out of 
order as it consists merely of a brass plug work- 
ing in a cast iron case. 

On the brake cylinder pipe leading from the Car 
Control V^alve there is a connection made to the 
Automatic Release Signal, as shown in plate 12. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



01 



When a passenger car Is equipped with this device 
thebrake on that car Is absolutely under the control 



releaTs'gSal "R-«>^o^'^e 



AUXILIARY BESEBVOm 



ern « tbip.kx. 




Rssekger-Car Equipment 

PLATE 12 THE DUKESMITH CAR CONTROL VALVE, SHOWING 

HOW THE VALVE IS CONNECTED TO THE TRAINPIPE, TRIPLE 

EXHAUST AND BRAKE CYLINDER; ALSO SHOWING HOW 

THE RELEASE SIGNAL IS CONNECTED TO THE 

BRAKE CYLINDER. 

of the trainman, for the reason that he can either 
apply, retain or release the brake as the case maybe. 

DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 1 3 

Style A Release Signal Is shown as It would 
appear when the brake is partially applied. The 
front cover can be removed by simply sliding It up. 

Style B Release Signal Is for use on locomo- 



02 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 






STVI.E A STYLE B 

PLATE 13 — THE DUKESMITH AUTOMATIC RELEASE SIGNAL. STTLl 

A AS USED FOR PASSENGER CARS, AND STYLE B 

AS USED FOR EXGIXES. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



93 



tives principally, but maybe used equally as well 
on passenger cars. The casing of Style B is cir- 
cular, in order to occupy as small a space as pos- 
sible in the cab of the engine. The automatic 
release feature of Styles A and B consists of a 
graduating sleeve which strikes the stem of a 
valve in the signal piston whenever the pressure 
in the brake cylinder becomes greater than is de- 
sired. In the top of the signal cylinder there is 
an oil plug to permit of oiling the cylinder when 
required, although it rarely needs to be oiled by 
hand, for the reason that the oil in the brake cyl- 
inder takes care of the signal cylinder. 

The Release Signal is located at the end of 
passenger coaches, usually on the wall of the toilet 
room in plain view of everyone. There should 
also be a release signal on each outside end of 
the coach on opposite sides, enabling inspectors 
and trainmen to quickly test the air brakes. 

Style A Release Signal is provided with a small 
exhaust valve in order to enable the trainmen to 
release by hand a brake which has failed to re- 
lease in the usual way. 

THE conductor's VALVE 

What is known as the conductor's valve is 
merely an additional stop cock attached to the 
trainpipe of passenger coaches. 



94 MODERN AIR-BRAICE PRACTICE 

There is a branch pipe running from the trainpipe 
up through the body of the coach, usually in the 
toilet room, and on this branch pipe is a stop cock, 
or valve, so that in case the conductor is unable 
to signal the engineer, or an emergency arises 
making it necessary to stop the train as quick as 
possible, the conductor can let the air out of the 
trainpipe by simply opening this valve. 

If he wishes to make a gradual stop he has only 
to open the valve gradually, but if he wishes to 
stop quick, he must open the valve quick, and also 
must hold it open until the train is stopped, for if 
the engineer should fail to lap his brake valve, as 
soon as the conductor's valvewasclosedthebrakes 
would release, on account of the main reservoir 
pressure driving the triples to release position. 
As previously explained the old style conductor's 
valve is now being replaced by the Car Control 
Valve which combines in one valve the conduc- 
tor's valve, the retaining valve and the cylinder 
release valve. 

Having explained the construction and action 
of the plain and quick-action triple valves, the 
pressure-retaining valve, the slack adjuster, the 
release signal, the car control valve and the con- 
ductor's valve and having shown how these parts, 
together with the auxiliary and brake cylinder, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 95 

are combined to form the car equipment, now 
let us see by what means the air is compressed, 
where it is stored and how it is manipulated from 
the engine. This brings us to 

PLATE 14 THE EIGHT-INCH PUMP 

The eight-inch pump is so called on account of 
the bore of the cylinders being eight inches. It 
has two cylinders, the one on top (3) is the steam 
cylinder, and the one below (5) is the air cylinder. 
They are joined together by a neck (4), and in the 
top of the air cylinder and bottom of the steam 
cylinder there are stufifing boxes (56) through which 
passes a piston-rod, on each end of which there 
are piston heads {12 and 13). The piston-rod (10) 
is hollow for a sufficient depth to admit the stem 
(17) of the reversing valve (16). The reversing 
plate (18) is bolted on top of steam piston (10) so 
that it strikes the button on the stem 17 as the 
piston approaches the end of its down stroke, and 
strikes the shoulder of the stem 17 as it makes 
the up stroke, for the purpose of changing the 
position of the reversing valve (16), which re- 
verses the stroke of the pump. 

The valves through which the air is received 
and discharged are all in the lower, or air end of 
the pump. 

The Action of the Steam End of the Pump is as 



g6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

follows: Steam from the boiler enters the pump at 
the union swivel 54, and besides filling the cham- 
ber which contains the main valve (7), passes 
through a port in the wall of this chamber and 
through a passage (not shown in plate 14) to the 
chamber in which the reversing valve works, 
thereby constituting the main valve chamber and 
the reversing valve chamber as the two steam 
chests of the pump. 

From the reversing valve chamber the steam 
passes through a small port into the spaceoccupied 
by the reversing piston (23), as shown in plate 14, 
and as the combined area of piston 23 and small 
piston 9 is greater than the area of the large piston 
8, the main valve (7) is forced down until the small 
piston strikes the stop pin (50) and thus uncovers 
the port in bushing 26, which admits steam to 
the underside of main piston 10, forcing it up. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 14— EIGHT-INCH PUMP, ON THE 

UP-STROKE 

54. Boiler connection. 7. Main valve. 7-8 and 7-9. Large 
and small piston of main valve. 25 and 26. Main valve bushings.- 
60. Stop pin. 23. Reversing piston. 16. Reversing valve. 17 
Reversing valve stem. 18. Reversing plate. 10 and 11. Main 
steam and air pistons 3. Steam cylinder. 4- Xeck. 5. Air 
cylinder. 57. Main steam exhaust. 41. Drain cock. 30 and 32. 
Discharge valves. 31 and 33. Receiving valves. 53. Main reser- 
voir connection. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



97 




53 



PLATE 14 — EIGHT-IISTCH PUMPf 



q8 modern AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

As the main piston moves up, plate i8 strikes the 
shoulder of stem 17 and thus changes the position 
of the reversing valve, so that the top port in its 
chamber is closed to piston 23, and the two lower 
ports are connected by the cavity in the reversing 
valve, which allows the steam to flow from off the 
top of piston 23, and pass under it into the exhaust 
passage across the head, as shown by dotted lines, 
to the main exhaust. When the pressure is thus 
shut off from piston 23, the main valve raises and 
causes the small piston to close the steam port to 
the underside of the main piston, and opens the 
exhaust port leading into the passage in the bot- 
tom of the cylinder, shown by dotted lines, and 
out at the main exhaust, at the same time piston 
8 of the main valve closes the top exhaust port 
in bushing 25 and opens the supply port through 
the bushing, and thus admits steam on top of the 
main piston, which drives it down. 

In making the down-stroke, plate i8engages the 
button on stem 17 and again changes the position 
of the reversing valve, which again admits steam 
on top of the reversing piston, which causes the 
main valve to move down as before, and piston 8 
uncovers a port in the bushing 25 which exhausts 
the steam from off the top of the main piston, 
and at the same time piston q opens the supply 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 99 

port in bushing 26, which admits steam to the 
underside of the main piston, and at the same 
time closes the lower exhaust. The pump has 
now made a complete double stroke. 

Drain cock 41 must always be opened before the 
pump is started, and left open until the pump is 
warmed up, or until there is about thirty pounds 
pressure in the main reservoir, and great care must 
be taken to start the pump slow, to avoid pounding 
and jarring, as the condensation cannot be com- 
pressed, and there must be an air cushion for the 
piston head to strike against in the lower cylinder. 

The Action of the A ir End of the Pump is as fol- 
lows : There are four air valves, two are called re- 
ceiving valves (31 and 'i^^, and two are called dis- 
charge valves (30 and 32). There are two valve 
cages (34 and 43), and as the discharge valves 
have a greater area than the receiving valves, in 
the. eight-inch pump, the flow of air past the 
valves is determined by the lift each valve has; 
the receiving valves have a lift of one-eighth of 
an inch, while the discharge valves have a lift of 
three thirty-seconds of an inch, or one-thirty- 
second Jess than the receiving valves. 

These standards must never be changed, as too 
much lift of any of the valves will cause the pump 
to pound, and not enough lift will cause it to run hot, 
LCFC. 



lOO MODERN AIR-BRAKK PRACTICE 

The way in which the pump receives and dis- 
charges air is as follows : When piston 1 1 is drawn 
up by steam piston lo there is a partial vacuum 
formed in the air cylinder beneath piston 1 1, and 
as the atmospheric pressure is about fifteen 
l)ounds to the square inch, the receiving valve 33 
is forced off its seat by the air rushing in to fill up 
the space created by the partial vacuum, and if 
the piston was to stop when it reached the top, 
the valve would be seated by its own weight when 
the pressure inside and out of the cylinder equal- 
ized; but as the piston reverses just as it reaches 
the top, the valve is forced to its seat and held 
there by the compression of the air on top of it, 
and if the valve has too much lift the pound heard 
when the valve is seated is great in proportion. 

When the piston starts on the down-stroke it 
compresses the air higher and higher as it nears 
the bottom, and when the pressure in the pump 
becomes greater than that in the main reservoir, 
the lower discharge valve (32) is forced up and the 
air from the pump rushes into the main reservoir, 
until the valve is seated by the main reservoir 
pressure becoming greater than that in the pump. 

The action of the top receiving and discharge 
valves is the same as the lower ones, except on 
the opposite stroke. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



lOI 



NINE AND ONE-HALF INCH AIR PUMP. 




PLATE NO. 15 — NINE AND ONE-HALF INCH PUAIP, 



I02 MC>DERN AIR-BRAKK PRACTICE 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 1 5 — NINE AND ONE-HALF 

INCH PUMP 

94. Boiler connection, showing by dotted lines 
how steam passes to main-valve cham- 
ber A. Main steam exhaust is indicated 
by dotted lines and figures 61-92. 

^']. Large piston of main valve. 

79. Small piston of main valve. 

83. Slide valve. 

105. Drain cock. 

71. Reversing-valve stem. 
69. Reversing plate. 

97. Stuffing boxes. 

98. Oil cup. 

65 and 67. Main steam and air pistons 

106. Air inlet. 
86. Air valves. 

92. To main reservoir. 

75. Fig. 3. Main valve bushing. 

72. Fig. 2. Reversing valve. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



103 



PLATE 15 — THE NINE AND ONE-HALF INCH PUMP 

The g}4-inch. pump differs from the 8-inch 
pump in several ways. In the first place it is 
larger by i>^ inches in the bore; second, the 
valve motion of the steam end is all contained 
in the top head, except the reversing valve stem, 
which is the same as in the 8-inch pump; third, 
the air valves are all the same size, and all have 
the same lift of three thirty-seconds of an inch, 
and the valves are placed so that the discharge 
valves are both on one side, and the receiving 
valves on the opposite side of the air cylinder; 
fourth, there is but one air inlet for the receiving 
valves, making it possible to strain all the air 
through one strainer, as indicated by 106, Fig. i. 
The main piston is the same in construction as 
in the 8-inch pump; there are two heads (67) on 
one piston rod (65), and this rod is hollow to 
admit the stem (71) of the reversing valve (72), 
and the reversing valve stem is driven up or 
pulled down by the reversing plate (69) striking 
the shoulder (/) or the button (70), just as it does 
in the 8-inch pump. 

As the reversing valve was the channel 
through which the steam had to pass to and 
from the top of the reversing piston in the 8-inch 
pump, in like manner the reversing valve in the 



I04 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

9^-inch pump controls the flow of steam to and 
from the plain side of piston 77 of the main 
valve, which in connection with the slide valve 
(S^) controls the supply and exhaust ports in the 
steam cylinder. 

To explain this it is necessary- to use two sec- 
tional views of the pump, as shown in plate 15. 
In Fig. I the pipe connection 93 shows by dotted 
lines how the steam from the boiler is carried 
through a passage in the back of the pump to 
the main-valve chamber. 

The main valve is composed of two pistons of 
unequal diameters, fastened to a suitable rod 
(76), and on this rod there are two shoulders 
between which a common D slide valve (83) is 
held. Fig. 3 represents the bushing in which 
the main valve and slide valve works. 

The slide-valve seat has three openings: the 
one on the left, in Fig. i, leads to and from 
the underside of the main piston; the one on 
the right leads to and from the top side of the 
main piston, and the one in the middle leads to 
the main exhaust, 92. Consequently when 
steam enters the main-valve chamber the piston 
77, having the largest area, is forced to the 
extreme right, as in Fig. i, against the head 84, 
which causes the slide vahe to uncover a port 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 105 

in the seat so that the steam can pass from the 
main-valve chamber down through a passage in 
the side of the cylinder to the underside of the 
main piston, which forces it up, and the revers- 
ing plate strikes the shoulder,/, on the reversing- 
valve stem, w^hich drives the reversing valve up 
and allows the steam in the reversing-valve 
chamber to pass through the lower horizontal 
port in the main-valve bushing (see Fig. 3) into 
the chamber between the head 84 and piston ']^. 
As this balances the pressure on both sides of 
the large piston 'j^, the small piston 79 now pulls 
the slide valve to the opposite end of the cham- 
ber, which uncovers the supply port to the top of 
the main piston and allows the steam to force it 
down, and at the same time the steam from the 
underside is being exhausted by way of the 
cavity in the slide valve, which now has the 
lower supply port and the main exhaust con- 
nected. 

The reason the small piston pulls the large 
piston over, after the pressure is balanced on 
both sides of piston ']^, is because there is a 
small port between the plain side of piston 79 
and the head 85, which is always open to the 
main exhaust, so that no back pressure can 
remain in the chamber indicated by 82, and no 



io6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

partial vacuum can be formed on that side of the 
small piston. 

The main-valve chamber is always in com- 
munication with the reversing-valve chamber by 
a small port in the bushing (75), as shown in 
Fig. 2; cap nut 74 has a small port in it which 
allows live steam to always reach the top of the 
reversing-valve stem, for the purpose of keeping 
the pressure balanced on both ends of it. 

As the main piston is now making its down- 
stroke the reversing plate (69) engages the but- 
ton on the end of the reversing-valve stem and 
draws the reversing valve down to the position 
shown in Fig. 2, which connects the second hori- 
zontal port in the bushing with the port which in 
Fig. 3 appears to be vertical and having a short 
extension to the right, and as this port is always 
open to the main exhaust, the steam between 
piston ']'] and the head 84 is exhausted, which 
allows the steam in the main-valve chamber to 
again force piston ']^ to the position shown in 
Fig. I, which places the slide valve in position to 
allow the steam to exhaust from the top of the 
main piston, and at the same time connects the 
main - valve chamber with the underside of 
the main piston, causing it to be forced up, as 
before. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 107 

Like the eight-inch pump, the stuffing boxes 
(95) must be kept well packed, and the gland 
nuts (96) just tight enough to stop leaks, but not 
tight enough to cause groaning. With metallic 
packing the nuts can be tightened more than 
they could if a fiber packing is used, for if you 
screw down too tight on a fiber packing it will 
ruin it. 

The drain cock (105) must be handled in the 
same way as the one on the eight-inch pump, 
but in addition to this one there is one in the 
main exhaust (not shown in Fig. i), and it also 
must be opened when starting the pump. 

THE ELEVEN-INCH PUMP 

The Westinghouse Air-Brake Company are 
now making an eleven-inch pump after the same 
pattern as the 9>^-inch one. 

As the 9>^-inch pump can compress about a 
third more air in a given time than the 8-inch 
pump, in like manner the ii-inch pump can 
compress a third more air than the 9>^-inch 
pump can within the same length of time. 

Right and Left Hand Pumps are pumps having 
two sets of plugs on either side of the steam 
cylinder, so that the pump can be located on 
either side of the engine as desired. All 9>^- 



io8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

inch and ii-inch pumps are now made right and 
left. 

To change a pump from right to left, or vice 
versa, remove the steam port fittings and opposite 
plug and exchange them, remove the exhaust port 
fitting and its opposite plug and exchange them. 

In oiling either the 8, 9^ or ii-inch pump the 
steam end is oiled by a lubricator, and when first 
starting the pump, the oil should be allowed to 
flow at the rate of about fifteen drops a minute, but 
as soon as the pump is nicely warmed up, or say 
about thirty pounds pressure in the main reser- 
voir, then the oil should be cut down to about oiie 
drop a minute, if that will keep the pump lubri- 
cated so that it won't groan. Some pumps require 
more oil than others, according to the work they 
have to do. There is now being supplied on all 
pumps, when so specified, an automatic oil cup 
for the air end of the pump on both the Westing- 
house and New York Air Pumps. An automatic 
cup is very essential as too much or too little oil 
in either end of the pump is ruinous. 

The air cylinder should be oiled regularly with 
good valve oil, as the old practice of oiling it only 
when the pump groans is now found to be bad 
practice. The old practice of having a good fat 
swab on the piston rod of the pump is a very good 



ITS USE AND ABUSE lOQ 

one, although It is a bad practice to expect suffi- 
cient oil to pass into the cylinder to lubricate it 
from this source, for the simple reason that the 
piston rod packing is supposed to be air tight. 

Under no circumstances must oil be sucked in 
through the air inlet, as it will surely ruin the 
pump. Whenever the air cylinder is to be 
oiled, the pump should be throttled down to 
a very slow speed, and after first filling the 
oil cup, watch the stroke of the piston, and, 
when it Is going down, quickly open the oil 
cup and allow the oil to be sucked in before 
the piston starts up. This causes the oil to 
be sprayed around the cylinder. If oil was 
poured in while the pump was cold, just 
as soon as it was started up the oil would 
be forced into the main reservoir, and even- 
tually find its way to the brake valve, and 
gum up the rotary, feed valve and pump 
governor. 

Some engineers say they can't oil a pump 
on the down-stroke for the reason that the 
oil blows back in their face; this is true only 
when the piston packing rings are leaky, 
and if the oil does blow back on the down- 
stroke, it tells you very plainly that new 
packing rings are needed, and needed bad, 



no MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

as one of the most common causes for the 
pump running hot is leaky packing rings. 
A leaky discharge valve might cause a back 
blow, but if the pump is completely stopped 
and you hold your finger slightly above the 
open oil cup you can tell if the trouble is 
there. 

Never Use Anyt/mtg but Good Valve Oil for 
either end of the pump, as the heat gener- 
ated by the compression of air is so great 
that it requires oil of a high flashing point 
to withstand it. On a warm summer's day 
the air in a pump working against a ninety- 
pound pressure in the main reservoir is about 
550 degrees, and on a cold winter's day, when 
the thermometer is thirty degrees below freez- 
ing, the pump generates a heat of 300 de- 
grees against a ninety-pound main reservoir 
pressure. And if you run your pump faster 
than sixty or seventy full strokes a minute, 
or have leaky packing rings or leaky dis- 
charge valves, the heat is raised considerably 
higher. 

The Westinghouse Air Brake Company are 
now manufacturing a compound air compresser, 
the main feature of which is that the steam 
cylinder is much smaller than the air cylinders, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE lit 

thereby effecting a considerable saving in fuel. 
The first compression of air raises the pressure 
to about forty pounds, and as this pressure oper- 
ates against the air piston at the same time that 
the steam is operating against the steam piston, 
it is readily seen that the combined force of 
compressed air and steam enables the pump 
to be operated at a very material saving of fuel. 
As this new compound pump is not as yet in 
general use, a detailed description of it at this 
time is not absolutely necessary, but full in- 
formation will be sent to anyone desiring it by 
addressing the Dukesmith School of Air Brakes, 
Meadville, Penn. 

The air valves in the Q^-inch pump operate 
same as in the 8-inch. But the lift of the 
air valves in the gj-inch pump are all the same, 
whereas they differ in the 8-inch pump, as 
previously explained. 

PLATE 1 6 — PUMP GOVERNOR 

When an engine is equipped with a brake 
valve on which there is a feed valve attachment 
the pump governor controls the main-reservoir 
pressure. 

But when the D-8 brake valve is used, the 
governor controls the trainpipe pressure. 



112 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




THE THREE POSITIONS OF THE COMBINED RELEASE AND RETAINING 
VALVE are: full release, NORMAL, AND LAP. 





^ 


"H 




gr.-^- fr-r 


£1 




R 


1 


\H^ 


^ 




^^Br«i 


I^^^^^^H^ v 


1 










w 


Hk 


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>:. A 


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If 


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u 



THIS ILLUSTRATION SHOWS LOCATION OF COMBINED RELEASE AND 

RETAINING VALVE JUST ABOVE THE ENGINEER'S 

AUTOMATIC BRAKE VALVE. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



113 




INTERIOR VIEW OF A MODERN AIR BRAKE INSTRUCTION CAR (CAR 
NO. 1, DUKESMITH SCHOOL OF AIR BRAKES). 

While many railroads are now operating their 
own instruction cars, in order to benefit their 
employes, it is, nevertheless, a fact that such 
method of instruction, if unaccompanied by care- 
ful study on the part of the employe, is of little 
value, for the reason that the continual move- 
ment of the car only affords each man a few 
hours instruction in a whole year, and therefore 
it is of vital importance that each employe should 
possess a thorough text book on the subject in 
order to be prepared for his examination when 
the car returns. 



114 MODERN ATR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




ffo Main Rcwrrolr 
Coaaa: tioo 36 OD 
Kazio«ar'« Btmke 
VilTe. ^ 







PLATE NO. 10 — PUMP GOVERNOR 



ITS USE AND ABUSE u 



DESCRIPTION OF , PLATE l6 — PUMP GOVERNOR 

X. Boiler connection. 

Y. To pump. 

51. Steam valve. 

53. Air valve. 

56. Air-valve spring. 

62. Vent port. 

67. Diaphram and valve. 

68. Diaphram ring. 
66. Regulating spring. 
65. Regulating nut. 
W. Main reservoir. 
61. Waste-pipe stud. 



u6 MODERN AIR-BRAKK PRACTICE 

While the new style governor is very similar 
to the old style, the new one is much more reli- 
able, as it is more positive in its action. 

The governor is located on the steam p.pe 
leading to the pump, as it:-, purpos^: is to shut off 
the steam whenever the pump has compressed 
the required amount of air, and whenever the 
air pressure falls below standard the governor 
automatically reopens the valve in the steam 
pipe and keeps it open until the air pressure is 
again restored, when it again shuts off the 
steam. 

This action is very simple. As the steam 
enters the governor at x, it passes under the 
steam valve (51) and through Y into the pump, 
and as long as the steam valve is unseated the 
pump will continue to work and compress air 
right up to boiler pressure; but as ninety pounds 
is all that is wanted in the main reservoir with 
the regular quick-action equipment, the tension 
spring of the governor must be set so that the 
steam valve will seat when ninety pounds is 
reached. 

This is done as follows: you will notice that 
piston 53 rests on the stem of the steam valve, 
and that the area of piston 53 is several times 
greater than the area of the steam valve, which 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 117 

means that if the relative areas were as three is 
to one that when a fraction over fifty pounds of 
air got on top of piston 53 it would drive the 
steam valve to its seat against a steam pressure 
of 150 pounds. 

The manner in which the air is admitted to 
the top of piston 53 to stop the pump, or kept 
from it to allow the pump to run, is as follows: 
A small pipe leading from the main-reservoir 
return pipe is connected to the governor at W, 
which allows main-reservoir pressure to always 
fill the chamber under diaphram 67, and as this 
diaphram is held down by a tension spring (66) 
and as there is a small pin valve attached to the 
center of the diaphram which closes the port 
leading to the top of piston 53, whenever the air 
pressure becomes greater under the diaphram 
than the tension of the spring, it will cause it to 
raise and unseat the pin valve, and allow the air 
to reach the top of piston 53, causing it to seat 
the steam valve and stop the pump. If the ten- 
sion spring 66 is properly set the pump will stop 
when there is ninety pounds in the main reser- 
voir. Whenever the main-reservoir pressure 
gets lower than the tension of the spring, the 
diaphram valve drops back to its seat and the 
air escapes from the top of piston 53 through a 



iiS MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




9 *> 

PLATE NO. 17— D-8 BRAKE VALVE AND ROTARY SEAT. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 119 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 1 7 — D-8 BRAKE VALVE 

X. Main reservoir connection. 
R. Gauge connection for red hand. 
W. Gauge connection for black hand (or train- 
pipe). 
T. To the little drum. 
V. To the pump governor. 
Y. Trainpipe. 

17. Equalizing discharge valve. 

18. Rotary valve. 

22. Body gasket. Fig. 3 shows rotary seat 
and preliminary exhaust port h; and 
equalizing port ^, both lead into cavity/^. 



I20 MODERN AIR-BRAKi: PRACTICE 

small vent port (62) which allows spring 56 to 
aid the steam in lifting the steam valve from its 
seat. 

If the vent port 62 is not kept open the pump 
V ill be slow in starting, for the air could only get 
off the top of piston 53 by passing down around 
packing ring 54 and out at the waste-pipe con- 
nection ( cr); stud 60 is tapped in the back of the 
governor under piston 53, to carry off any steam 
that might leak by the stem of valve 51, or any 
air that might leak around packing ring 54, con- 
sequentl}' should both the vent port and the 
w^aste pipe become clogged the governor would 
not shut off the pump, and the main-reservoir 
pressure would run up to boiler pressure. 

PLATES 17 AND 1 8 — D-8 ENGINEER'S BRAKE VALVE 

In applying the brakes with the quick-action 
triple, it is not only necessary to reduce the train- 
pipe pressure lower than that in the auxiliar>% 
but it is absolutely necessary that the reduction 
be made gradually to prevent the emergency 
action. 

The old style brake valve, or three-way cock, 
had only three positions, application, lap and 
release, and while some men seem to think the 
new brake valve has only two positions, "on" and 



Its Use and abuse m 

"off," there are, however, five positions, as fol- 
lows: full release, running position, lap, service 
application, and emergency. 

There are two kinds of brake valves, one lias 
no feed-valve attachment, and is known as the 
D-8, and depends upon the pump governor to 
regulate the trainpipe pressure. The other 
kind has a feed-valve attachment for controlling 
the trainpipe pressure, which leaves the pump 
governor to control the main-reservoir pressure, 
and is known as the F-6 and G-6 brake valve, 
according to the kind of feed valve there is on 
it. The F-6 has the old style feed valve, and 
the G-6 has the new slide valve feed valve, as 
shown in plates 21 and 22. 

It is not necessary to go into details in describ- 
ing the D-8 brake valve, as it is now practically 
superseded by the F-6 and G-6, therefore I will 
simply explain the differences between the two 
kinds of brake valves, and will fully explain the 
F-6 under plates 20 and 21. 

The D-8 brake valve uses the pump governor 
to control the trainpipe pressure of seventy 
pounds, and the connection is made at V (plate 
17); the "excess" is controlled by what is known 
as the excess pressure valve (19, Fig. 3, of 
plate 17). 



122 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




Fio4 

PLATE NO. 18 — D-8 BRAKE-VALVE AND ROTARY. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE l8 — D-8 BRAKE VALVE 

Fig. 2 shows trainpipe exhaust ;/, ;/, 25. 

21. Excess pressure valve. 

Fig. 4. The rotary valve and handle. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE i^S 

When the handle of the D-8 brake valve is in 
full release position the pump will shut off at 
seventy pounds, and the pressure in the main 
reservoir and trainpipe would be the same, but 
if the handle is in running position the excess 
pressure valve will not open to admit air into 
the trainpipe until there is twenty pounds in the 
main reservoir, and as it requires twenty pounds 
to hold this valve open, the trainpipe will get a 
pressure of seventy pounds before the pump 
will shut off, thus leaving an excess pressure of 
twenty pounds in the main reservoir. 

If the handle is placed on lap while the train- 
pipe pressure is below seventy pounds, the 
pump will run the main reservoir pressure up to 
boiler pressure, for the governor cannot shut the 
pump off unless there is seventy pounds in the 
trainpipe; on the other hand, if the handle is in 
running position no air can get into the train- 
pipe until there is twenty pounds of excess in 
the main reservoir, and as a consequence the 
many leaks that commonly occur in the main 
reservoir and trainpipe connections cause the 
brakes to creep on before the pressure can be 
restored to keep them off. It was mainly on 
this account that the F-6 brake valve was 
invented, for with this valve the pump governor 



124 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

is controlled by the main reservoir pressure, and 
will stop the pump at ninety pounds in the main 
reservoir, no matter in what position the handle 
is, and, as the trainpipe pressure is controlled by 
the feed valve, whenever that pressure falls 
below the standard of seventy pounds, if the 
handle is in runnint^ position the feed valve will 
open and let the main reservoir pressure in, and 
thus keep the brakc^s from dragging. 

Anotlier (lilTtM-ciice between the two kinds of 
brake valves is that with the D-8 valve, when 
making a servicer application, the air from cavity 
D over the equalizing discharge valve (17) is 
exhausted to the atmosphere through a separate 
little port in the casing, marked h in Fig. 2 of 
plate 18, whereas the preliminary exhaust //, in 
the F-6 valve, is connected with the main or 
emergency exhaust, marked k in Fig. 2 of plate 
20, thus making one port less through the casing 
of the F-6 brake valve. 

Therefore there are the following differences 
between the D-8 and the F-6 brake valves: 1st. 
with the D-8 valve the excess pressure is gotten 
before the trainpipe begins to charge, if the 
handle is in running position; 2n(l, with the D-8 
valve the trainpipe pressure is controlled by the 
pump governor, instead of the feed valve attach- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 125 

ment, as It is with the F-6; 3rd, with the D-8 
valve, if the handle is left in either lap, service 
or emergency position, the pump will run the 
main reservoir pressure up to boiler pressure, 
or will shut off when there is only seventy 
pounds in the main reservoir if the handle is left 
in full release from the starting of the pump, 
whereas with the F-6 valve, the pump will be 
shut off by the governor, if properly set, when 
the main reservoir reaches ninety pounds, no 
matter what position the handle of the valve is 
in; 4th, with the F-6 valve the excess pressure 
is gotten after the trainpipe pressure is pumped 
up; 5th, with the D-8 valve, if the excess pres- 
sure valve should happen to be in bad order, 
and it usually is, if the handle was left on lap for 
any considerable length of time after making a 
service application, the main reservoir pressure 
would be raised so high that, with a short train, 
when the handle was thrown to release position 
the auxiliaries would be overcharged, and the 
wheels slid on the next application, unless the 
engineer was very careful, whereas with the F-6 
valve the most that could get in the auxiliaries, 
if the governor was correct, would be ninety 
pounds; 6th, when an emergency application is 
made with the D-8 valve, the black hand on the 



126 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

gauge will rise instead of fall, because in this 
position the equalizing port to cavity D is open 
to the main reservoir pressure. The construc- 
tion of the D-8 valve, with these differences, is 
the same as the F-6 or G-6, except that the D-8 
has an excess pressure valve while the P-6or 
G-6 has a feed valve attachment, which will be 
explained in regular order. 

PLATES 19 AND 20 — THE F-6 (1892 MODEl) ENGI- 
NEER'S BRAKE VALVE 

The engineer's brake valve is the device on 
the engine by means of which the engineer is 
enabled to charge up, and keep charged, the 
trainpipe and auxiliaries; apply the brakes, and 
keep them applied, release the brakes, and keep 
them released, and to do these several things he 
has either to place the main reservoir in com- 
munication with the trainpipe, or open the train- 
pipe to the atmosphere, or shut off all communi- 
cation, as the case may be, according to whether 
he is applying or releasing the brakes, keeping 
them set, or running along. 

There are just four things that constitute the 
essential parts to a modern Westinghouse brake 
valve, viz: the rotary valve, the handle that con- 
trols the rotary, the equalizing discharge valve, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 127 

and the feed valve attachment, or trainpipe gov- 
ernor. Of course there are gaskets, springs, 
packing rings, the equaHzing reservoir, etc., but 
they are matters of detail. 

There are five positions in which the handle 
of the brake valve can be placed. 

The first, or extreme left position is "full 
release," and is the position the handle should 
alw;ays be in when releasing brakes, or when it 
becomes necessary to charge up quickly, for in 
this position the air from the main reservoir 
flows through the largest ports in the rotary 
direct into the trainpipe. 

The second position is callied "running posi- 
tion," because the handle should be carried in 
this position while running along, for the reason 
that in this position the rotary valve is placed so 
that all the air that passes from the main reser- 
voir into the trainpipe must go through the feed 
valve attachment, and as this attachment will 
only allow seventy pounds of air to get into the 
trainpipe (if set correctly, and unless the high- 
speed apparatus is being used), it enables the 
pump to maintain an excess pressure in the 
main reservoir, for if the pump governor is set 
at ninety pounds, and the feed valve set at 
seventy, there will naturally be twenty pounds 



128 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




Jimtritan MaeMftitt 



Fig. 3 

PLATE NO. 19— F-6 BRAKE VALVE AND OLD STYLE FEED VALVE. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 129 

greater pressure in the main reservoir than in 
the trainpipe before the pump is stopped by the 
governor. 

Another reason why the handle must always 
be carried in running position while the train is 
running along, is because whenever the pressure 
in the trainpipe leaks down below the standard 
of seventy pounds, the feed valve will open 
automatically and allow the main reservoir pres- 
sure to again flow into the trainpipe until that 
pressure is restored, when it will automatically 
close itself, and allow the pump to again create 
the "excess" in the main reservoir. 

The third position on the brake valve is ''lap," 
and when the handle is in this position all ports 
are closed, so that no air can pass either into the 
trainpipe or out of it. After applying the 
brakes, the handle should be brought to lap 
carefully, and held there until it is desired to 
further reduce the trainpipe pressure or release 
the brakes, as the case may be, and when releas- 
ing the brakes the handle must be placed on full 
release position for a few seconds, according to 
the length of train and the amount of excess 
carried, before it is allowed to rest on running 
position. 

The fourth position is called "service applica- 



T-o MODERN AIR-HRAKE PRACTICE 

tion position," because in this position the air is 
allowed to escape gradually from the trainpipe. 
In this position the air on top of the equalizing 
discharge valve is allowed to escape through the 
small preliminary exhaust port in the seat of the 
rotary so gradually that a sudden reduction on 
the trainpipe is prevented, for as the pressure 
on top of the discharge valve is allowed to 
escape, the trainpipe pressure below gradually 
forces it from its seat and thereby opens the 
trainpipe exhaust. If the handle is left in serv- 
ice position until ten pounds is drawn from the 
top of the discharge valve and then placed on 
lap, the valve will not seat until a fraction over 
ten pounds has escaped from the trainpipe, 
when the pressure on top will then be the great- 
est and force the discharge valve back to its 
seat, and thereby close the trainpipe exhaust. 

The fifth position is called "emergency appli- 
cation position," because when the handle is in 
this position the rotary connects the main train- 
pipe supply port with the main exhaust port, 
and the air is allowed to escape from the train- 
pipe direct to the atmosphere, regardless of the 
equalizing discharge valve, and this sudden 
reduction of trainpipe pressure allows the triples 
to be forced to their full stroke, as explained 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 131 

under plate 5, and thus causes the quick action, 
or emergency application. Emergency position 
should never be used except in case of danger. 
Owing to the rough manner in which some 
enginemen handle their brakes, this position is 
often called "criminal application position." 

The parts of the F-6 brake valve are as fol- 
lows: the handle, which controls the rotary, is 
marked 8, in Fig. i ; the lug (9) is forced out by 
a spring (10) so that the handle may be stopped 
in any desired position, and when placing the 
handle in any of the positions be sure that the 
bolt in the handle is right up against the lug on 
the brake valve, for the reason that the rotary 
valve is moved in exact accord with the handle. 
If the bolt or lug is worn the movement of the 
rotary will be correspondingly changed out of its 
proper alignment; 12 is the stem to one end 
of which the handle is fastened by nuts 6 and 7, 
and the other end is dove-tailed or keyed into 
the top of the rotary, so that whatever way the 
handle is turned the rotary has to turn with it; 
13 is a small leather gasket for the purpose of 
preventing any air from leaking out around the 
stem, as main reservoir pressure is always on top 
of the rotary and under the shoulder of stem 12, 
forcing it up against the casing. This gasket 



i:;2 MODERN AIR-HRAKL PRACTICE 













■*-.•. »»t ^'njMft 



PLA.TE NO. 20 — F-6 BRAKE VALVE — ROTARY AND SEAT. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 20 — F-O BRAKE VALVE 

Fig. 2 shows rotary seat and five positions of 
the handle. 

Eig. 4 is the rotary and handle. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 133 

sometimes gets gummed up so badly that it 
causes the handle to move very hard; 14 is the 
rotary valve, and 3 is the rotary valve seat; 18 is 
the equalizing discharge valve, which controls 
the trainpipe exhaust m and n. The action of 
the discharge valve has already been explained 
under ''service application position." 

As cavity D above the discharge valve is very 
small, it is necessary to have a greater volume 
of air to control it than the cavity alone will con- 
tain, and this greater volume is supplied by a 
little drum, or equalizing reservoir, which holds 
about 500 cubic inches of air, and is located, 
usually, under the footboard of the cab. It is 
connected to the brake valve at T (Fig. i), and 
from T to cavity D there is a connecting pas- 
sage, as shown by s in Figs. 2 and 3, and as the 
little drum is always charged equally with cavity 
D, whenever the pressure in cavity D is reduced 
it is also reduced in the little drum. This greater 
volume is needed above the discharge valve to 
compensate for the volume in the trainpipe. 

When the handle of the brake valve is placed 
m service position the rotary shuts off the main 
reservoir and also cavity D from the trainpipe, 
and allows the air to escape from cavity D by 
way of port e^ groove p and preliminary exhaust 



134 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

port // to the almosphere through the main 
exhaust k, and when the handle is moved to lap 
it closes the preliminary exhaust, and thus holds 
the little drum pressure at whatever it was 
reduced to, as shown by the black hand of the 
gauge, and when the trainpipe has exhausted 
until it becomes less than the pressure in cavity 
D the discharge valve is forced to its seat by the 
pressure in the little drum, and stops any further 
flow of air from the trainpipe. 

Nos. 34 to 46 in Fig. 3 of plate 19 all refer to 
the old style feed valve attachment as used on 
the F-6 brake valve. The essential parts are 
the supply valve (34), valve spring (35), diaphgram 
piston (37), regulating spring (39), regulating 
nut (41). 

When the rotary is in running position the 
operation of the feed valve is as follows: the 
regulating spring being set at seventy pounds 
tension, it forces the piston up against the stem 
of the supply valve and raises it off its seat, 
causing the main reservoir pressure to flow from 
the top of the rotar>' down through port /in the 
rotary (Fig. 4 plate 20), and through port/ in the 
rotary seat (Fig. 3, plate 19), through a passage 
(y ), and under the supply valve to the top of the 
diaphragm piston, then through a port (shown by 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 135 

dotted lines, and marked i, Fig. 2, plate 20), 
which leads off the top of the piston into the 
trainpipe by way of the main supply port, as 
shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. As the rotary 
is now in position so that the large cavity (c), as 
shown in Fig. 4, plate 20, connects the main sup- 
ply port with the equalizing port £" (which passes 
through the rotary seat into cavity D), the air 
that is passing from the top of the rotary 
through the feed valve into the trainpipe, is 
also filling cavity D, and the little drum, by way 
of ports g and 5, as shown in Fig. 3, plate 19 
(while plate 19 shows full release position, still 
ports s and g are plainly shown, and if the 
handle was moved to running position the port 
through the rotary that registers with port e in 
Fig- 3> would be in register with port^ ; port g is 
indicated by dotted lines). 

In running position, when the trainpipe and 
little drum are charged up to seventy pounds 
there is also seventy pounds on top of the dia- 
phram piston, and as the regulating spring is set 
at a fraction less than i^cventy, the air pressure 
forces it down and allows the supply valve to 
seat and shut off the main reservoir from the 
trainpipe. But as soon as the pressure in the 
trainpipe falls below seventy, the piston is again 



ij6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

forced up by the r^^aiaiing spring and keeps the 
supply valve open until the pressure is again 
restored in the tiainpipe. 

The feed valve attachment is in operation omly 
when the handle of the brake valve is in Tunning 

pOSltHMl. 

The course of the air through the brake valve 
in full release position is as follows: the return 
pipe from the main reservoir is coimected to the 
brake valve at X, and passes directly to the top 
of the rotary through passage A. then throi^^ 
port a in the rotary into cavity b in the rotary 
seat and under a bridge in the rotary (which 
now stands midwa)' over ca\~ity b)^ and on over 
the seat of the rotary, through large cavity r, 
direct into the main supply port (i) to the train- 
: 7e. \vi passing over the rotary seat the air 
r s down through the equaludng port ^, 
into cavity D, and from cavity D through port s 
into the little drum; and as the feed valve is cut 
out when the handle is in full release, both the 
little drum and trainpipe pressure would charge 
up to main reservoir pressure if the rotary was 
left in fuU release. In fuO release position, port 
j in the rotary registers with port e in the seat, 
so that cavit>' D charges faster in full release 
than in running position. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 137 

Always remember that the little drum is sim- 
ply an enlargement of cavity D, and the same 
pressure is in both. 

The Warning Po7't, through which the air is 
heard escaping as long as the handle remains in 
full release, is a small port through the rotary 
about the size of a pin, which allows the main 
reservoir air to whistle through it to warn the 
engineer that he is liable to overcharge his train- 
pipe. It should always be kept clean. 

The black hand of the gauge is piped to the 
little drum at W (Fig. i, plate 19), as stud 17 is 
tapped into pipe 15 which connects the little 
drum with cavity D by way of port s. 

The red hand of the gauge and also the pump 
governor are piped to the main reservoir pres- 
sure at R. 

To make an emergency application the handle 
must be moved to the extreme right, when the 
large cavity {c) in the rotary will connect the 
main supply port (/) of the trainpipe with the 
main exhaust port {k)y and allow the air in the 
trainpipe to exhaust directly into the atmosphere. 

PLATES 21 AND 22— THE G-6 BRAKE VALVE AND 
NEW SLIDE VALVE FEED VALVE 

The G-6 brake valve is identical with the F-6, 
with the exception of the feed valve. In the 



138 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




; -'^L-A^ r 



zB^rr 



5 3 




PL.VTE XO. 21 — G-6 BRAKE VALVE. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 21 — 0*6 BRAKE VALVE. 

Fig. 3 shows how the new slide valve feed 
valve is attached. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 139 

new slide valve feed valve the only material 
change is that a slide valve controls the flow of 
air from the main reservoir into the trainpipe, 
which allows the pressure to be raised much 
quicker than it can be with the old style feed 
valve. 

The working parts of the new slide valve feed 
valve are as follows: all of the essential parts of 
the old style feed valve are retained, as shown 
by plate 22, with slight modification, for 64 is the 
diaphragm piston, which instead of having a rub- 
ber diaphragm has two sheet-brass diaphragms 
(57) on the piston head, supported by a ring (63); 
67 is the regulating spring; 65 the regulating nut; 
59 a small valve corresponding exactly with sup- 
ply valve 34 in the old style feed valve, and 60 is 
the spring which controls valve 59. 

By plate 21, Fig. 3, you will see that there is a 
slide valve (55) attached to a piston (54), and this 
piston is forced forward by a spring (58). 

The action of the new slide valve feed valve is 
as follows: when the handle of the rotary is in 
running position, main reservoir pressure drives 
the slide valve and piston back, wliich uncovers 
a port in the slide valve seat that connects with 
feed port i, and as the slide valve does not move 
until the trainpipe is fully charged, it causes the 



140 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




63 62 



65 



PLATE NO. 22 — SLIDE VAL\T: FEED VALVE. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 22- 

VALVE 



SLIDE VALVE FEED 



57. Diaphragm piston. 

59. Cut-off valve. 

67. Regulating spring. 

65. Regulating nut. 

The slide valve is shown in plate 21. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 141 

pressure to be restored very quickly after it has 
been reduced from any cause. 

The reason the sHde valve does not move until 
the pressure is restored is because the piston has 
no packing rings, and the air is allowed to cir- 
culate by it through a small passage that leads to 
the supply valve chamber, from which it passes 
under the cut-off valve across the diaphragm into 
feed port i, and when there is a pressure of 
seventy pounds on the diaphragm it moves away 
from the supply valve and allows it to seat, when 
the circulation by the piston is stopped, causing 
the pressure to equalize on both sides of the 
sHdc valve piston, when spring 58 moves the 
slide valve and closes communication between 
the main reservoir and the trainpipe. When- 
ever trainpipe pressure falls below seventy the 
diaphragm forces valve 59 off its seat and the 
same action is repeated as before. 

As the new Westinghouse Automatic Brake 
Valve which is used in connection with their new 
Distributing Valve is not as yet in general use 
throughout the country, a full description of it 
will be sent by applying to the Dukesmith School 
ot Air Brakes, Meadville, Pa. 



142 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




PLATE NO. 23.— HIGH-SPEED BRAKE. 



11 i> USE AND ABUSE 14^ 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 23 — HIGH-SPEED BRAKE AS 
ATTACHED TO CAR 

This illustration shows how the reducing valve 
is attached to a car and piped to the pressure 
head of brake cylinder. 



THE HIGH-SPEED BRAKE 

Briefly stated, the high speed brake is an 
apparatus which enables the engineer to apply a 
very high pressure to the brake cylinders while 
running at a high speed, which automatically 
reduces as the train slows down. 

When a train is equipped with the high-speed 



144 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

brake a pressure of i lo pounds is carried in the 
trainpipe and auxiliaries and 120 in the main 
reservoir. 

The equipment for the high-speed brake is the 
same as the ordinary quick-action brake, except 
that there is a duplex pump governor, an addi- 
tional slide valve feed valve, a quick action 
instead of a plain triple on the tender, a specially 
designed plain triple for the driver and truck 
brakes, and an automatic reducing valve attached 
to the cylinder 8 under the locomotive and each 
car, as shown in plate 22,. 

As the high pressures are only to be used on 
trains which run at a very high speed, there are 
cut-out cocks on the pump governor and feed 
valves so that the regular seventy and ninety 
pounds can be carried when required. 

When it is desired to change the locomotive 
equipment from the quick-action to the high- 
speed brake it is only necessar>^ to turn two 
handles, that of the reversing cock of the feed 
valve and that of the quarter-inch cut-out cock 
on the pipe leading to the governor. The: c 
handles must be turned at right angles to the 
position occupied when the quick-action brake 
is being used. 

The duplex pump governor consists merely of 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 145 

two diaphragm portions of the ordinary pump 
governor (only one of which is in use at a time) 
connected with one steam valve portion. 

The principle of the high-speed brake is as 
follows: As the friction between the shoe and 
the wheel is lessened as the rapidity of rotation 
of the wheel increases, and as the adhesion 
between the wheel and rail remains practically 
the same regardless of speed, a greater cylinder 
pressure can be used while the train is moving 
at a high speed without danger of sliding wheels, 
but as the train slows down the cylinder pressure 
must be correspondingly reduced. This is done 
b}^ what is called the automatic reducing valve. 

PLATE 24 — THE AUTOMATIC REDUCING VALVE FOR 
THE HIGH-SPEED BRAKE 

Attached to the brake cylinder on each car 
there is an automatic reducing valve. Fig. 2 
shows how the air passes in at Z, through a 
strainer (17), and, if the pressure is above sixty 
pounds, it overcomes the tension of regulating 
spring II, and piston 4 is forced down, which 
carries the slide valve (8) with it, so that port b 
in the valve registers with port a in the seat, and 
allows the surplus pressure to escape to the 
atmosphere until the cylinder pressure is down 



146 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




era BRARC CYUNOCH 



PLATE NO 24 — THE ATTOMATIC REDUCING VA1.V*. 



TS USE AND ABUSE 147 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 24 — AUTOMATIC REDUCING 

VALVE 

10. Cap nut. 

9. U spring of slide valve. 

8. Slide valve. 

6. Slide-valve piston. 

11. Regulating spring. 

12. Regulating nut. 



148 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

to sixty pounds, when the regulating spring 
forces the slide valve up and thereby closes the 
exhaust port a, and holds the sixty pounds in 
the cylinder until the engineer releases the brake 
in the usual way. 

Plates 25, 26 and 2"; illustrate the positions of 
the ports in the valve seat and slide valve of the 
reducing valve when making a service stop, an 
emergency stop, or when there is sixty pounds or 
less in the cylinder. 

The opening d in the side of the slide valve 
always admits cylinder pressure to port b, and, 
as port b is triangular in form, when a service 
stop is made the largest end of port b is in register 
with port a, to allow the air to reduce as rapidly 
as possible from the cylinder, but vrhen an 
emergency application is made the slide valve is 
forced down so that the small end of port ^ is in 
register with port a, and as the surplus cylinder 
pressure is gradually exhausted the regulating 
spring gradually raises the slide valve until, 
when there is a fraction less than sixty pounds 
left in the cylinder, port b is beyond port a, and 
the exhaust is closed. 

The air remaining in the cylinder is released 
in the usual manner, by way of the triple exhaust. 

The reducing valve should be examined occa- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



149 




P08ITI©N OF PORTS. 
SERVICE STOP. 
PRESSURE EXCEEDING 60 POUNDS 
IN BRAKE CYLINDER. 

PLATE NO. 25. — SERVICE STOP. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 25 — SERVICE STOP 

8. Face of slide valve, showing large end of 
port b to be in register with exhaust port a. 



I50 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

sionally in order to detect and overcome any 
possible leak through the discharge port. 

Cars that are not equipped with the automatic 
reducing valve should never be attached to 
trains employing the high-speed brake, unless 
the brake cylinders are equipped with the safety 
valve provided for temporar>' use in such cases. 
The safety valve has been especially designed 
to prevent a higher than standard pressure in 
the brake cylinders of cars not equipped with 
the automatic reducing valve. It may be quickly 
screwed into the oiling hole of the brake-cylin- 
der head and removed when the car is again 
placed in ordinary service. 

HIGH-PRESSURE CONTROL OR SCHEDULE U 

The purpose of the high-pressure control 
equipment is to enable enginemen to safely 
handle freight trains which are hauled out 
empty and brought back loaded. 

For example, all freight-brake rigging is sup- 
posed to be adjusted so that the brake power 
exerted will be equal to only seventy per cent 
of the light weight of the car with a sevent>'- 
pound auxiliary- pressure, and when you load a 
car, you of course change its weight; conse- 
quently if the brake power on an empty car 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



151 




position of ports. 
Emergency Stop. 

plate no 26. — emergency stop. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 26 — EMERGENCY STOP 

8. Face of slide valve, showing small end of 
port b to be in register with exhaust 
port a. 



152 MODERN AIR-BRAKK PRACTICE 

should be onl}- seventy per cent, that percentage 
would be ver>' materially lowered when you 
increase the weight by loading the car. Even 
a very light load will materially change the per- 
centage of brake power. As it would be very 
difficult to change the percentage of brake 
power by altering the brake rigging every time 
the weight of a train was changed (although 
this has been tried by using a lever shifting 
attachment) it is at once seen that the easiest 
and most practical way out of the difficulty is to 
change the standard of pressure carried in the 
auxiliar}' reservoir, and it is with this object in 
view that freight locomotives are equipped with 
the high-pressure control, for with this equip- 
ment an engineer can change his air pressure 
from 70 and 90 pounds to 90 and no pounds by 
simply turning a cut-out cock, and thereby 
increasing the percentage of brake power on his 
train. 

To make this plain to 3'ou I will explain by 
saying that if the brake-piston travel on a car is 
eight inches, and you make a service application 
of thirty pounds from a seventy-pound auxiliary 
and trainpipe pressure you would simply get 
fifty pounds in your brake cylinder, and would 
be wasting ten pounds of your trainpipe pres- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



153 




POSITION OF PORTS. 
RELEASE. 



PLATE NO. 27. RELEASE POSITION. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 27 — RELEASE POSITION 

8. Face of slide valve, showing port b closed 
to exhaust port a. 



154 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

sure, because the auxiliary* and brake cylinder 
would have equalized at fifty pounds with a 
twenty pound trainpipe reduction. Now, if you 
should have ninety pounds in the auxiliar>' you 
would have to draw off about twenty-six pounds 
in order to equalize the auxiliary and brake cyl- 
inder pressures, but they w^ould equalize at about 
sixty-seven pounds, thereby giving jou much 
more brake power with a full service application 
than 3^ou would ordinarily get from a seventy- 
pound trainpipe pressure with an emergency 
application. The reason for this is because the 
auxiliary- and brake cylinder will equalize at a 
point (f I two-sevenths below the original auxil- 
iary- pressure. For example, a 2opound reduc- 
tion from a jopound auxiliary' pressure will 
equalize at 50, and 20 is two-sevenths of 70. 

By this arrangement an eng-neer can greatly 
increase the brake power on his train so that he 
has it under better control in descending grades, 
and with little or no chance of sliding wheels, 
for the reason that the increased load not only 
makes the increased cylinder pressure safe, but 
absolutely essential. 

As a precaution against sliding wheels on the 
engine and tender, there is attached to them 
safety valves which automatically let out all 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 155 

but fifty pounds of the brake cylinder pressure 
when an application is made. An additional safe- 
guard against sliding or heating of engine tires is 
the Dukesmith Driver Brake Control Valve, 
furnished by the Dukesmith Air Brake Company, 
Pittsburg, Pa. With this new valve an engineer 
can release any part or all of the brake pressure 
on the locomotive without interfering with the 
train brakes. (See Driver Brake Control.) 

The difference between the high pressure con- 
trol and the high-speed brake is as follows: the 
cars require no additional parts when using the 
high-pressure control; safety valves are used on 
the engine and tender instead of automatic re- 
ducing valves, and plain triple valves are used on 
both the engine and tender brakes, whereas a 
quick-action triple is used on the tender with the 
high-speed brake. The duplex pump governor 
is piped to both the main reservoir and slide 
valve feed valve with the high pressure control, 
whereas with the high-speed brake the governor 
is piped direct to the main reservoir. 

Owing to the fact that the ninety pound pump 
governor is piped to the feed valve and because 
the feed valve is automatically cut out by the 
action of the rotary whenever the handle of the 
brake-valve is in any oilier position but running 



156 MODERN AIR.BIL\KE PRACTICE 

or release, it will be seen that when the handle 
of the brake valve is in any other position the 
I lopound governor controls the pump, thereby 
causing it to quickly pump up the excess pressure. 
With the high speed brake the governor is 
piped direct to the main reser\-oir, the same as with 
the quick-action equipment, consequently the cut- 
ting in or out of the ninet>'-pound governor by the 
quarter-inch cut-out cock on the governor pip>e 
will give you the low or high pressure as desired. 
The reason for ha\-ing but one cut-out cock for 
the two governors with the high-speed brake is 
because if you cut in the ninety-pound governor 
the steam valve will be closed at ninety pounds, 
and if you cut out the ninety-- pwDund governor 
it will require 1 20 pounds to unseat the diaphragm 
valve in order to let the air shut off the steam 
valve. The tension of the steam valve spring is, 
of course, a]wa\*s the same, no matter which gov- 
ernor is in use. but the tension of the diaphragm 
spring (41) is regulated by nut 40, so that one 
diaphragm valve will be lifted by ninety* and the 
other by 120 iK)unds, or, if you are using the high 
pressure control, at ninety and 1 10 pounds. 

COMBINED STRAIGHT AIR AND AUTOMATIC ENGINE 

BRAKE 

A ver) good addition, indeed to the ai; -brake 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 157 

system has recently been made by what is known 
as the Combined Straight Air and Automatic 
Engine Brake. Besides the regular apparatus 
used with the automatic brake, the Westinghouse 
and New York Straight Air equipment consists of 
the following parts: a double check valve for the 
purpose of automatically shifting the connection 
from the cylinder to either the triple valve or the 
straight air-brake valve, as the case may require; 
a straight air-brake valve, having three positions, 
release, lap and application; a slide valve feed 
valve, set at forty-five pounds, and attached to the 
straight air-brake valve, to reduce the main reser- 
voir pressure when using straight air. The double 
check valve is used on both the engine and tender 
brakes. The Dukesmith Combined Automatic 
and Straight Air Brake Valve does not require 
the use of double check valves, and has an addi- 
tional advantage in that the engin-eercan release 
the locomotive brakes with this valve even though 
the trainpipe hose should be bursted. For full de- 
scription of this valve see Driver Brake Control. 

PLATE 28 — THE DOUBLE CHECK VALVE 

The double check valve consists of a casing (2-3) 
with two end and two side openings, and has in- 
side a loose, spool-shaped piece with a leather seat 



1^8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



BRAKE OVUNDEH,^ 




TO BRAKE CYUmER, 



OR FOR. SAFETY VALVE. 

PLATE NO. 28. — DOUBLE CHECK VALVE. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 28 — DOUBLE CHECK VALVE 

4. Bushing. 

5. Check valve. 

a and d. Valve seat. 
Cy c. Ports for "straight air." 
c\, c\. Ports for "automatic." 
7. Leather gasket. 



ITS USE AND ABJSE 159 

on each end (6) for the purpose of making a joint 
with the valve seat (a-b) at either of the end open- 
ings, against which it is driven by the air pressure 
entering at the other. 

The pipe leading from the straight air-brake 
valve is connected to one end opening of the 
double check valve, and the pipe from the triple 
is connected to the other end opening, and the 
connection with the brake cylinder is made by a 
pipe leading from either of the side openings, 
and to the other side opening is attached a safety 
valve set at about fifty pounds. 

Plate 28 shows the double check valve when 
straight air is being used, for as the air from the 
brake valve strikes the check valve it L« forced 
against seat b, which shuts off the triple and opens 
port c, which allows the air to rush into the cylin- 
der. • 

To release the brake the engineer simply places 
the handle of the brake valve on release position 
and the air in the cylinder returns through the 
same ports in the check valve and escapes to the 
atmosphere by way of the release port in the 
brake valve. 

To apply the brakes with the automatic, the 
old style straight air brake valve must be in re- 
lease position, and when using the straight air the 



l6o MODERN AIR-BRAKK PRACTICE 



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(For description sec jolloxcing page.) 



ITS USE AND ABUSE i6l 

DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 28a. 

[Plate 28a is a diagrammatic illustration show- 
ing the method of piping the Westinghouse Com- 
bined Automatic Straight Air Valve. The main 
features to be remembered are that the hose be- 
tween the engine and tender, marked special 36 
inch hose, should be one continuous piece in 
order to avoid possible leakage; that with this 
arrangement two double check valves are needed 
and two exhaust valves marked Dand C, are used 
for the purpose of enabling the engineer to re- 
duce the pressure on the locomotive when de- 
scending heavy grades, or when the wheels are 
sliding; as shown in the chart, there must also 
be a safety valve attached to the brake cylinders 
on both the engine and tender, and there should 
also be a pressure gauge for indicating what the 
brake cylinder pressure is at all times, and this 
is very important, for the reason that should the 
reducing valve become defective it is liable to 
allow a much too heavy pressure to get into the 
cylinder. The exhaust valves C and D, as shown 
in the diagram, are located on the tender and 
engine respectively, and should be within easy 
reach of the engineer, for when they are needed 
they are needed in a hurry.] 



i62 MODERN A1R-BRAK:E PRACTICE 




w 



PLATE NO. 29a. — BRAKE VALVE AND COMBINED STRAIGHT AIF 
AND ATTOMATIC ENGINE BRAKE. 

{For dcsrr.pt on see following page.) 



r7\ 



# 




PLATE NO. 29b. BRAKE VALVE AND COMBINED STRAIGHT AIR 

AND AUTOMATIC ENGINE BRAKE. 



Description of Plates 29a and 29b. — 2. Shaft attached to handle 
(4) for operating valve 8 and release valve 9. The handle is on 
lap position. 

163 



i64 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

automatic brake valve must be left in running 
position. The engine brakes cannot be released 
with the Westinghouse or New York Straight Air 
Brake Valve if the triple is in application position. 

When a reduction is made on the trainpipe pres- 
sure in the usual way, with the automatic brake 
valve, the air from the auxiliary forces the check 
valve against sQ3.ta, and thereby opens ports n, 
which allows the auxiliary air to rush into the cyl- 
inder. The brake is released in the usual way, for 
when the automatic brake valve is placed in full 
release position the triple piston reverses the slide 
valve, and the exhaust being thus opened the air 
in the cylinder flows back through ports ^i in the 
check valve and out through the triple exhaust. 

When an engineer wishes to do so he can 
keep his train brakes released and still have his 
engine and tender brakes set, when his engine is 
equipped with this special apparatus. 

PLATES 29A, 29B AND 30 — THE STRAIGHT AIR-BRAKE 

VALVE 

The Westinghouse straight air-brake valve has 
three positions: release, lap and application. 
Plates 29 and 30 show it on lap. It is very simple, 
as the essential parts are the handle (4); the shaft 
(2), to which the handle is fastened, which oper- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 165 

ates two check valves (8 and 9). Check valve 8 
contains the supply of air from the main reser- 
voir to the brake cylinder, and valve 9 controls 
the exhaust from the cylinder. 

Look at plate 29A and imagine that you have 
moved the handle to the right, which would cause 
the shaft to force valve 8 down and allow main 
reservoir pressure, which is always in chamber a, 
to flow under the valve into passage b and through 
b\ (plate 30), b2 and X (plate 29B) to the double 
check valve and and on into the cylinder, as ex- 
plained under plate 28. 

To release the brake, the handle is moved back 
to the extreme left, which causes the shaft to allow 
valve 8 to reseat, and forces valve 9 down, when 
the air from the cylinder passes back through X, 
^2, under valve 9, through passage c to the 
exhaust. 

The slide valve feed valve is attached to the pipe 
leading to the double check valve, and when the 
handle is thrown to application position the flow of 
air from the main reservoir to the cylinder is shut 
off automatically at forty-five pounds. Should 
the feed valve leak, or be set too high, the safety 
valve will allow the surplus pressure to escape, 
and should the safety valve not seat properly it 
would allow the cylinder pressure to leak off when 



i66 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



£tM0y€ T 




TODCUtie 



PLATE NO. 30a. — BRAKE VALVE FOR COMBINED STRAIGHT AIR 
AND AUTOMATIC ENGINE BRAKE. 



(For descrlpt.on see follow. ng page.) 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



167 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 30 

Section F.F. shows how 
the air passes from the 
main reservoir by way of 
valve 8 to the double 
check valve, and how in 
returning from the double 
check valve it passes un- 
der valve 9 to the ex- 
haust. 




•a 



PLATE NO. 30. BRAKE VALVE FOR COMBINED STRAIGHT AIR 

AND AUTOMATIC ENGINE BRAKE. 



i68 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

either a partial straight air or automatic appHca- 
tion was made. 

The Xew York Straight Air Brake Valve nas 
four positions and the Dukesmith has five, and 
are described under their respective headings. 

PLATE 31 — THE WHISTLE SIGNAL SYSTEM 

There are four essential things that go to 
make up the air-signal system, aside from the 
pipes, cut-out cocks, cords, etc. 

Fig. I is the signal valve, and stands in the same 
relation to the whistle as the auxiliary does to the 
brake cylinder, for it is in the signal valve that 
the air is stored for use in blowing the whistle. 

Fig. 2 is the car discharge valve, and stands in 
the same relation to the air signal as the con- 
ductor's valve does to the airbrake, for when the 
car discharge valve is opened the air escapes frcra 
the signal pipe and causes the whistle to blov. . 

Fig. 3 is the whistle. 

Fig. 4 is the improved reducing valve, which is 
to the air-signal what the feed-valve attachment 
is to the air brake, as it controls the pressure in 
the signal pipe and signal valve. 

The reducing valve is identical in its operation 
with the old style feed-valve attachment, and 
when you understand one you knov/ the other, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE i6g 

for as the regulating spring 13 is set at forty 
pounds, the diaphragm piston (10) will keep the 
supply valve (4) off its seat until the main reser- 
voir pressure (which flows in at A) has filled the 
signal pipe (B) to a fraction over forty pounds, 
when the piston is forced down and allows the 
supply valve to shut off the main reservoir pres- 
sure until the signal-pipe pressure is again 
reduced, when the piston will again raise and 
unseat the supply valve to allow the main reser- 
voir to quickly restore the pressure in the signal 
pipe, when the valve will again seat by the pis- 
ton being forced away from it. 

The signal valve is attached to the main sig- 
nal pipe by a short branch pipe at Y, and what- 
ever pressure is in the pipe the same is in 
chambers A and B, for as air passes through 
port d into chamber A, it also passes down pas- 
sage C and raises the diaphragm stem (10) so 
that the small groove cut around the stem at / 
is above bushing 9, and as the side of the stem 
is flat as far up as the groove, when the stem is 
raised the air is free to enter chamber B, and 
when it equalizes with A the stem drops to its 
seat (7) by its own weight and closes port e. 
The stem is attached to a rubber diaphragm 
(12), and as the whistle is piped to the signal 



I7C MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



3 




•v L 



V 



PLATE NO. 31. — WHISTLE SIGNAL SisIiiL 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 171 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE 3 1 — WHISTLE SIGNAL 

SYSTEM 



Fig. I. Whistle signal valve. 
Fig. 2. Car discharge valve. 
Fig- 3- The whistle. 
Fig. 4. Reducing valve. 



172 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

valve at X, whenever the lever (5, Fig. 2) of the 
car discharge valve is moved either to the right 
or left the small valve (3) is forced off its seat to 
allow the air to escape from the signal pipe, and 
when the pressure is thus reduced the air in 
chamber A is also reduced, and as the volume 
of B is so much greater than A the rubber dia- 
phragm is forced up, which unseats the stem 
and allows the air in B and some of the signal- 
pipe air to rush out through, the bell-shaped 
whistle and cause it to blow. 

In order to insure the whistle giving the 
proper blast it is necessary to make a sudden 
reduction, and as it is the air in the signal valve 
that blows the w^histle, at least two seconds must 
be allowed between each pull of the cord to let 
chamber B fully recharge, and on a long train 
four seconds is better. 

Plates 32 and 33 are diagrammatic illustrations 
showing (32) the Quick- Action Automatic Brake, 
and {^^) the High-Speed Brake Equipment. 
These plates are remarkably complete in detail, 
and the reader will at once see the exact rela- 
tion each part is to the other. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO 
SECTION 2 

THE PARTS OF THE WESTINGHOUSE AUTOMATIC, HIGH 

SPEED AND STRAIGHT AIR-BRAKE EQUIPMENT 

AND THEIR DUTIES 

I. What is meant by an automatic brake? 

Ans. — A brake that is self-acting. 
' 2. When an engine is equipped with the Wes- 
tinghouse automatic quick-action air brake, what 
are the essential parts, and what are their duties? 

Ans. — A steam-driven pump to compress the 
air; a main reservoir in which the air is stored 
ready for use; an automatic air-controlled gov- 
ernor for stopping and starting the pump accord- 
ing to the amount of compressed air required in 
the brake apparatus; a duplex gauge for regis- 
tering the pressure in the main reservoir and 
trainpipe; an engineer's brake valve for control- 
ling the flow of air from the main reservoir into 
the trainpipe and from the trainpipe to the 
atmosphere; an equalizing reservoir attached to 
the brake valve for controlling the equalizing 
discharge valve within the brake valve; pipe 

connections between the pump and the main 

173 



174 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

reservoir, between the main reservoir and the 
brake valve, between the main reservoir and the 
governor, between the main reserv^oir and the 
red hand of the gauge, between the equahzing 
reservoir and the black hand of the gauge, rep- 
resenting trainpipe pressure; and to the brake 
valve is attached the trainpipe, in which is 
located a cut-out cock just below the brake 
valve for the purpose of closing communications 
between the brake valve and trainpipe as occa- 
sion demands, as in double heading; branch 
pipes leading from the trainpipe to the triple 
valve, from the triple valve to the auxiliary 
reservoir, from the triple to the brake cylinders, 
as there are two brake cylinders on the engine 
the pipe leading from the triple to the cylinders 
is teed so that one branch leads to the right and 
the other to the left-hand cylinder; there are 
cut-out cocks on the branch pipe leading from 
the trainpipe to the triple and from the triple to 
the brake cylinder, and from the triple to the 
auxiliary; there is an auxiliary reservoir for sup- 
I^lying air to the brake cylinder and a plain 
triple valve for charging, setting, and releasing 
the brake. When an engine is said to be fully 
equipped there is also a truck brake equipment 
consisting of an additional auxiliary reservoir of 




■\ 



I ! 



KlMt AINU UNE. HHU- L«l.n 




PLATE 33 

Diagrammatic Illustration of the Westinghouse Standard 
High=Speed Brake 




f 



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WT ^i\^0#^"\^ ^J 







CBZj>j;,f 



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I 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 175 

smaller capacity, a truck brake cylinder, an auto- 
matic slack adjuster, and a Driver Brake Control 
Valve, with Automatic Release Signal, in which 
case there would be no triple on the tender. 

3. What additional apparatus is required on a 
passenger engine from that of a freight engine? 

Ans. — The whistle signal equipment, consist- 
ing of a reducing valve set at forty pounds, a 
whistle signal valve, and an air whistle, together 
with a signal pipe and suitable connections be- 
tween the main reservoir and reducing valve, 
and from the reducing valve and signal valve, 
and from the signal valve to the air whistle. 

4. What additional apparatus is needed to 
change the quick-action equipment into a high- 
speed equipment? 

Ans. — A duplex pump governor, an extra slide 
valve feed valve and bracket, and an automatic 
reducing valve. 

5. What are the parts required on a tender In 
ordinary freight or passenger service, with a 
standard Westinghouse equipment? 

Ans. — A trainpipe, brake cylinder, auxiliary 
reservoir and a plain triple valve with branch 
pipes, cut-out cocks, an angle-cock and hose. In 
passenger service there is, in addition, the signal 
pipe with its angle-cock and hose. But when an 



176 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

engine is equipped with the Dukesmith Driver 
Brake Control Valve no triple valve or auxiliary 
reservoir is required on the tender. 

6. When equipped for high-speed brake, what 
additions are needed on a tender? 

Ans. — An automatic reducing valve set at sixty 
pounds, and the quick-action triple is substituted 
for the plain triple. To be fully equipped the 
tender in any kind of service should also have 
an automatic slack adjuster and a release signal. 

7. What apparatus is required on a freight car? 
Ans. — A trainpipe with angle-cocks and hose 

at both ends; a quick-action triple valve; a brake 
cylinder; a branch pipe leading from the trainpipe 
to the triple in which is a cut-out cock; a release 
rod leading from the release valveon the auxiliary 
to either side of the car; a pressure-retaining valve 
clamped to the end of the car near the top along 
side the staff of the hand brake; a pipe connect- 
ing the retaining valve with the triple exhaust so 
that when it is desired to allow the engineer to re- 
charge the auxiliar}' reservoir on descending 
grades the handle of the retainer can be turned 
up and thereby retain a pressure of fifteen or fifty 
pounds in the brake cylinder while recharging, ( at 
the foot of the grade, or sooner if desired, the 
handle must be turned down again in order to 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 177 

permit the engineer to release the brakes); if the 
car control valve is used instead of the ordinary 
retaining valve there should also be a release sig- 
nal, which is clamped to the end of the car just 
below the top and piped direct to the brake cylin- 
der, the purpose of which is to signal the train 
crew every time the brake sets, releases, leaks off, 
has too much piston-travel or sticks. It also en- 
ables the trainmen to detect a ''kicker," or brake 
that flies into emergency with a service application. 
When a brake sticks so that it cannot be released 
from the engine the brakeman can release it from 
the top of the car by simply moving the handle of 
the car control valve which is on the end of the 
car until the signal drops into its pocket. On a 
dark night when the brakes are felt to be drag- 
ging, the brakeman will not have to drop off and 
watch the brakes as the train passes in order to 
find the defective brake,but can, when the release- 
signal is used, run back over the top of the train, 
aryi by the light of his lantern, see the release- 
signal as it appears above the top of the car, as it 
is a foot square, and having thus quickly and 
surely found it, has only to open the valve and let 
the brake off without having to take any personal 
risk, as he does when dropping off the train, and 
without causing a dangerous delay to the train, as 



178 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

is frequently the case when brakes get to dragging 
and have to be bled off by the auxiliary release 
valve. Whenever the air is out of the brake cylin- 
der the release-signal will automatically drop into 
its pocket below the top of the car. To find a 
"kicker" in a train, have the engineer make a five- 
pound reduction, and on all cars on which the 
triple valves are properly working the signal will 
show itself just a little way above the top of the 
car. In case the "kicker" should be caused by a 
weak graduating spring in one of the first seven 
cars, it would throw the whole train in emergency 
on the first light reduction, but on the car which 
has the "kicker," if it is not caused by a weak 
graduatmg spring in the first seven cars, the sig- 
nal will not move with the first five-pound reduc- 
tion, so that when the next five-pound reduction 
is made, the signal which did not move at all on 
the first reduction will jump up, showing that the 
defective triple is on that particular car. I laving 
thus found the "kicker," cut that brake out, 
card the car and report as usual. As uneven 
piston-travel is one of the worst evils railroads 
have to contend with, all air brake cars should 
also be equipped with the automatic slack- 
adjuster. 

8. On a passenger coach, in ordinary service, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



179 



what additional apparatus is required from that 
of a freight car? 

Ans. — Either a car control valve or the ordinary 
conductor's valve attached to the end of a pipe 
which leads from the trainpipe to within the body 
of the coach, (usually in the toilet room), by means 
of which the conductor can stop the train, if de- 
sired, by letting the air out of the trainpipe either 
gradually orsuddenly, according to circumstances. 
For an ordinary stop it should be opened grad- 
ually, but for an emergency it should be pulled 
wide open quick and held open until the train 
comes to a full stop, when it should be again closed. 
On a passenger car there is also a whistle signal 
pipe from which there is a branch pipe.leading to 
the car discharge valve, and as there is a cord at- 
tached to the discharge valve, a sudden jerk of the 
cord will open the valve and let out signal-pipe 
pressure, thereby causing the whistle to blow on 
the engine; a lapse of at least two seconds should 
be allowed between pulls in order to insure the 
correct signal, and on long trains four seconds is 
better. All passenger coaches should have the 
automatic slack-adjuster and the release-signal. 

9. To equip a passenger car for the high-speed 
brake, what extra apparatus is needed? 

Ans. — Simply the automatic reducing valve. 



i8o MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

Where a car is temporarily used in a train equip- 
ped with the high-speed brake, a safety valve must 
be screwed into the oil hole of the brake cylinder, 
and when it is returned to ordinar>^ service the 
safety valve should be removed and the plug re- 
placed in the oil hole of the cylinder. Ordinary 
passenger coaches do not usually have retaining 
valves on them, but all Pullman and most private 
cars do, and are placed on the end of the car in 
the vestibule. 

10. Now, to return to the engine equipment. 
How many main pistons are there in the pump? 

Ans. — Two; the main steam piston and the 
main air piston, the former in the top and the 
latter in the bottom section of the pump. 

11. Are these pistons connected together? 
Ans. — Yes. One piston rod operates both. 

12. What is the principal difference in the 
construction of the eight-inch pump from that of 
the gj-inch pump? 

Ans. — The eight-inch pump has its steam valves 
on the side and top, while the g^-inch pump has 
its steam valves all at the top, and where in the 
eight-inch pump the flow of steam is controlled 
by pistons with packing rings, in the 9^-inch pump 
the flow of steam is controlled by a common D 
slide valve actuated by two pistons of unequal 



ITS USE AND ABUSE i8i 

diameter. Both pumps contain a reversing valve 
with reversing valve rod which operates within 
the hollowed-out main piston rod. 

13. What difference is there in the two pumps 
in regard to the air valves? 

Ans. — The eight-inch pump has its discharge 
and receiving valves all on one side, whereas in 
the 9J-inch pump there is a receiving and dis- 
charge valve on either side of the pump. The 
eight-inch pump has two air inlets; the gi-inch 
pump kas only one. 

14. Is there any difference in the lift of the air 
valves in the two pumps? 

Ans. — Yes; in the eight-inch pump the receiv- 
ing valves have a lift of i of an inch, and the 
discharge valves have ^^, whereas in the gj-inch 
pump all air valves have a lift of ^^3. 

15. Can you explain the operation of the steam 
end of the eight-inch pump? 

Ans. — When the steam enters at the side of the 
pump it flows into a chamber in which is contained 
two pistons of unequal diameter, which, in com- 
bination, is known as the main steam valve of the 
pump; leading from near the top of this chamber 
there is a steam passage which conducts the steam 
to the top of the reversing valve and from thence 
through a small passage into another chamber in 



i82 iMODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

which is contained the reversing piston (see plate 
14), the steam having thus passed from the main 
valve chamber to thereversingvalve chamber and 
into the chamber of the reversing piston, and as 
the reversing piston and the bottom piston of the 
main valve combine to make a much larger area 
than the top piston of the main valve, it naturally 
forces the main valve down so that the steam from 
the main valve chamber can pass through the bot- 
tom ports in the main valve chamber to the steam 
cylinder of the pump, and thereby force the main 
steam piston up; as the main steam piston rises, 
the reversing plate strikes the shoulder of the re- 
versing valve rod and thereby changes the posi- 
tion of the reversing valve, so that the steam in 
the chamber over the reversing piston can pass 
through the second passage in the head through 
the cavity in the reversing valve, through the low- 
er passage in the head, to the exhaust passage, 
which begins at the bottom of the reversing piston 
chamber and ends at the main exhaust. The pres- 
sure having now been removed from the top of the 
reversing piston, the large piston in the main 
valve chamber is forced up, causing the small bot- 
tom valve to close the bottom supply ports to the 
steam cylinder and at the same time open the bot- 
tom exhaust ports of the steam cylinder, thereby 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 183 

allowing the steam to exhaust from the under side 
of the main piston. While the main valve is in 
this position, the exhaust port, from the top side 
of the piston, is closed, and the supply port from 
the main valve chamber to the top of the steam 
piston is open, so that the steam can pass from 
the main valve chamber to the top of the main 
steam piston and thereby force it down; in doing so 
the reversing plate engages the button on the end 
of the reversing valve rod, which again changes the 
position of the reversing valve, thereby allowing 
the same action to take place as in the beginning. 

16 How do the air valves in the eight-inch 
pump operate? 

Ans. — On the up-stroke of the main air piston 
a partial vacuum is formed in the air cylinder, 
and as the atmospheric pressure is then greater 
on the outside of the ^ump, it enters the air inlet 
and forces the receiving valve off its seat until 
the air cylinder is filled with atmospheric pres- 
sure. As the reversing valve causes the main 
pistons to reverse just before reaching the top 
of the cylinders, the compression of the air, 
which begins immediately that the piston starts 
down, causes the receiving valve to be firmly 
closed, and as the compression in the air cylin- 
der is increased over the pressure in the main 



i84 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

reservoir, it causes the discharge valve to be 
lifted and allow the air from the pump to be 
forced into the main reservoir. As the piston 
starts up again the main reservoir air holds the 
discharge valve to its seat in the same manner 
that the air cylinder pressure held the receiving 
valve to its seat on the down-stroke. In making 
the up-stroke, the upper receiving and discharge 
valves operate in the same manner as did the 
lower valves. 

17. Can 30U explain the operation of the steam 
end of the 9^^-inch pump? 

Ans. — The steam entering the pump at the 
main steam connection is conveyed to a cham- 
ber in the top head of the pump in which is con- 
tained two pistons of unequal diameter, on the 
piston rod of which is a common D slide valve 
moving over a seat having three ports. One of 
these ports leads to the under side of the main 
steam piston, one leads to the top of the main 
steam piston, and one to the main exhaust, and 
as the cavity in the slide valve can only connect 
two of these ports at any one time, it naturally 
follows that when the steam enters between the 
two pistons of unequal diameter that the slide 
valve is moved towards the end of the chamber 
containing the large piston. In doing so it 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 185 

uncovers the port leading to the under side of 
the main steam piston, which causes the piston 
to move up, which in doing so operates the 
reversing valve in the same manner as previ- 
ously explained in the eight-inch pump. As the 
piston nears the top it changes the position oi 
the reversing valve in order to allow steam to 
pass from between the two unequal pistons, 
through a port in the bushing, to the outer side 
of the large piston. By this action the pressure 
on both sides of the large piston is equalized, 
and as there is no pressure on the outer side of 
the small piston, the expansion of the steam 
forces the slide valve to the end of the chamber 
in which is contained the smaller piston. This 
action causes the slide valve to connect the port 
leading from the bottom side of the main steam 
piston with the port leading to the main exhaust, 
and while the steam is exhausting from the 
under side of the piston, live steam is being 
admitted to the top of the main steam piston 
through the port in the slide valve seat which is 
now uncovered, thereby forcing the main steam 
piston down, which in doing so causes the revers- 
ing valve to be reversed the same as in the 
eight-inch pump, which action exhausts the 
steam from the outer side of the large piston so 



i86 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

that it is again forced in the same direction as 
described in the beginning of the stroke. The 
action of the air valves is the same as in the 
eight-inch pump except that the lift of the 
valves in the 9^2-inch pump is 5^ of an inch all 
around, whereas in the eight-inch pump the 
receiving valves have ^\ of an inch greater lift 
than the discharge valves. 

18. What is the name of the pipe leading from 
the pump to the main reservoir? 

Ans. — The main reservoir discharge pipe. 

19. What is the name of the pipe leading 
from the main reser\'oir to the engineer's brake 
valve? 

Ans. — Main reservoir return pipe. 

20. What prevents the main reservoir pres- 
sure from flowing back into the pump? 

Ans. — There are two valves, known as the dis- 
charge valves, which are held to their seat by 
the main reservoir pressure, but when the pump 
compresses air to a higher pressure than that 
contained in the main reservoir, the discharge 
valves are lifted from their seat until the pres- 
sures equalize, when the valves drop to their 
seat by their own weight. 

21. If the main reservoir pressure begins at 
the pump, where does it end? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 187 

Ans. — If the engineer s brake valve is on lap, 
it ends on top of the rotary valve and at the 
pump governor and at the red hand of the 
gauge. 

22. If the brake valve is on lap, why does not 
the main reservoir pressure end on top of the 
brake valve? 

Ans. — Because there is a branch pipe leading 
from the main reservoir pipe just before it 
reaches the brake valve, which carries the air to 
the red hand of the gauge and to the pump 
governor. 

23. Are there any other attachments which 
might consume main reservoir pressure? 

Ans. — Yes; the bell ringer and air sander, and 
if it is a passenger engine, the whistle signal 
pipe. Should a leak occur in any of these con- 
nections, it would be a main reservoir leak. 

24. Where should the main reservoir on the 
engine be located? 

Ans. — While circumstances regulate the loca- 
tion of the main reservoir, it should, however, be 
always placed in such a position that it will be 
lower than the pump, so that all oils andconden- 
sations may settle in it, and should be piped so 
that the discharge pipe, or the one which con- 
nects with the pump, is separated as far as pos- 



iS8 MODERN AIR-BRAICE PRACTICE 

sible from the return pipe leading to the engi- 
neer's brake valve. 

25. What is the engineer s brake valve for? 

Ans. — For the purpose of enabling the engi- 
neer to properly charge, set and release brakes 
and control the flow of main resenoir and train- 
pipe pressure. 

26. What are the essential pans of the engi- 
neer's brake valve? 

Ans. — The rotar>- valve and the handle which 
controls it, the equalizing discharge valve, the 
feed valve attachment, or trainpipe governor, 
and the equalizing reservoir. 

27. What is the purpose of the rotary- valve? 
Ans.^ — To open and close the ports in the 

brake valve. 

28. What is the handle of the brake valve for? 
Ans. — To control the movement of the rotary- 
valve. 

29. What is the equalizing discharge valve for? 
Ans. — To open and close the trainpipe exhaust 

port according to the pressure above or below it. 

30. What is the equalizing reser\-oir intended 
for? 

Ans. — To maintain a large volume of air on 
the upper side of the equalizing discharge valve, 
in order to compensate for the volume of air in 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 189 

the trainpipe, which is on the under side of the 
equalizing discharge valve. 

31. What is the feed-valve attachment, or 
trainpipe governor for? 

Ans. — As its name implies, it is for the purpose 
of controlling the pressure in the trainpipe. 

32. In what way does it control the pressure 
in the trainpipe? 

Ans. — As there is a regulating spring (see 
illustration) which is set at seventy pounds, it 
requires an air pressure of a little over seventy 
pounds to compress the spring and allow the 
feed valve to close and shut off the flow of air 
from the main reservoir to the trainpipe. 

33. How many kinds of feed valves are there 
in use? 

Ans. — Two. The old style feed valve is merely 
a poppet valve, while the new slide valve feed 
valve contains, in addition to the poppet valve 
feature, a slide valve, which is actuated by both 
air and spring pressure. 

34. Which feed valve is preferable and why? 
Ans. — The new slide valve feed valve; for the 

reason that with it the trainpipe pressure can be 
quickly raised and more evenly maintained, 
whereas with the old style feed valve the flow of 
air into the trainpipe is materially retarded after 



IQO MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

the pressure has reached fifty pounds, on account 
of the gradual closing of the poppet feed valve, 
while with the new slide valve feed valve the 
trainpipe port virtually remains wide open until 
the full seventy-pounds pressure is in the train- 
pipe. While the slide valve controls the port 
leading to the trainpipe, it in turn is controlled 
by the small poppet valve, for the reason that 
when the trainpipe pressure of seventy pounds 
forces the diaphragm of the regulating spring 
away from the poppet valve, the latter is allowed 
to seat, which prevents the circulation of the air 
through the feed-valve attachment, and the 
pressure thus becomes equalized on both sides 
of the slide-valve piston. The spring behind 
the piston forces it forward and causes the slide 
valve to close the trainpipe port. It is because 
the air is intended to circulate freely on both 
sides of the slide-valve piston that there are no 
packing rings on this piston. 

35. In what position must the brake handle of 
the brake valve be in order to have the feed- 
valve attachment in operation? 

Ans. — In running position, as that is the only 
position of the brake-valve handle in which you 
can get air from the main reservoir to the train- 
pipe through the feed valve. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 191 

36. Can you trace the course of the air from 
the pump to the brake cylinder? 

Ans. — In order to get the air from the main 
reservoir to the brake cylinder, if the handle of 
the engineer's brake valve is on lap at the begin- 
ning, it is necessary to make at least two move- 
ments of the handle of the brake valve, which I 
will explain in a moment. The pump having 
compressed the air, it is forced through the dis- 
charge valves and through the discharge pipe 
into the main reservoir, from thence it passes 
through the return pipe to the top of the rotary 
valve in the engineer's brake valve. When the 
handle of the brake valve is thrown to the left, 
or full release position, the main reservoir pres- 
sure can then pass through the largest ports in 
the brake valve direct into the trainpipe. From 
the trainpipe it passes through the branch, or 
cross-over pipe, to the trainpipe side of the 
triple piston, and in forcing the triple piston for- 
ward there is opened a feed groove in the casing 
of the triple piston cylinder, which allows the 
trainpipe pressure to flow over the piston and 
over the top of the slide valve into the auxiliary 
reservoir. The air has now been carried from 
the pump through the main reservoir, through 
the engineer's brake valve, through the train- 



192 MODKRN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

pipe cross-over pipe, through the triple valve 
and into the auxiliar>- reservoir. When a suffi- 
cient pressure has been stored in the auxiliary- 
reservoir and it is desired to set the brakes, the 
engineer must move the handle of the brake 
valve to at least ser\ice application position, 
which action causes the preliminary exhaust 
port in the brake valve to open and allow the 
pressure from the top of the equalizing dis- 
charge valve to escape to the atmosphere, which 
causes the trainpipe pressure, which is on the 
under side of the equalizing discharge valve, to 
force the valve up and open the trainpipe 
exhaust port. With the trainpipe exhaust port 
open the air rushes out from the trainpipe, and 
as the triple piston stands between the trainpipe 
and auxiliar>' pressure, it naturally follows that 
when the trainpipe pressure has been made 
lower than the auxiliary pressure the triple pis- 
ton is forced towards the weaker pressure by the 
auxiliary- pressure, and as it carries with it the 
slide valve, the ports in the slide valve and in the 
slide-valve seat are thereby opened, which allows 
the auxiliary' pressure to flow into the brake c>lin- 
der against the brake piston, which is connected 
with the brake levers, which forces the shoes up 
against the wheels and the brake is then set. 



- ITS USE AND ABUSE 193 

> 

37. Can you explain how the brakes are 
released? 

Ans. — By the excess pressure in the main reser- 
voir. When it is desired to release the brakes 
the handle of the brake valve is placed in full 
release position, in order that the great volume 
of air contained in the main reservoir may pass 
quickly through the trainpipe and strike the 
triple piston a hammer blow, in order to over- 
come the pressure in the auxiliary reservoir, 
thereby causing the slide valve to be moved, so 
that the exhaust port of the triple valve will be 
opened and permit the brake cylinder pressure 
to pass out into the atmosphere, and the pressure 
having thus left the brake cylinder the return 
spring in the brake cylinder forces the brake 
piston back, thereby moving the brake levers to 
their original position, which allows the brake 
shoes to drop away from the wheels. 

38. Can the brakes be released with the han- 
dle of the brake valve in any other position than 
that of full release? 

Ans. — Yes. They can be released sometimes 
in running position, but it is a very dangerous 
practice' for an engineer to do so, for the reason 
that when it is necessary to release the brakes 
in a train they should be all released at the same 



194 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

moment, if possible, because if some brakes 
release and others do not, it is very liable to pull 
the train in two. 

39. How many positions are there on the 
brake valve? 

Ans. — Five. Full release, running, lap, serv- 
ice and emergency. 

40. What are these positions intended for? 

Ans.— Full release is for charging and releas- 
ing the brakes. Running position is to enable 
the engineer to maintain an even pressure in 
the trainpipe and auxiliary reservoir while run- 
ning along, and keep up the excess pressure, 
because as the air in the trainpipe escapes 
through leaks of any kind, the feed-valve 
attachment automatically opens to allow main 
reserA'oir pressure to flow into the trainpipe, 
but automatically closes when the pressure 
has been restored. Lap position, which is the 
third on the brake valve, is for the purpose of 
closing all ports, so that no air can flow into or 
out of the trainpipe. Ser\^ice application posi- 
tion is for the purpose of making a gradual 
application of brakes, and emergency applica- 
tion position is for the purpose of allowing the 
trainpipe pressure to rush out as quickly as pos- 
sible, in order that all brakes in the train may be 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 195 

set instantly, or nearly so. Emergency position 
should never be used except in case of actual or 
probable danger, and should never be used when 
an engine is on the turntable. 

41. What main reservoir and trainpipe pres- 
sures should be carried with the quick-action 
brake equipment? 

Ans. — Ninety pounds in the main reservoir, 
which is shown by the red hand, and seventy 
pounds in the trainpipe, which is shown by the 
black hand. In 1904 the Air Brake Association 
in National Convention at Buffalo recommended 
ninety pounds as the standard trainpipe pressure, 
but suggested that its use be gradually adopted, 
as circumstances would permit. 

42. When the high-speed brake equipment is 
used what pressure should be carried? 

Ans. — One hundred and twenty pounds in the 
main reservoir and no pounds in the trainpipe. 

43. When the high pressure control is used, 
what pressure should be used on the engine? 

Ans. — With a light train ninety and seventy 
pounds, but with a loaded train a hundred and 
ten, and ninety pounds. 

44. What is meant by excess pressure, and 
what is it used for? 

Ans. — Excess pressure is the amount of air 



196 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

carried in the main reservoir over and above 
what is carried in the trainpipe. If the train- 
pipe governor is set at seventy pounds and the 
main reservoir or pump governor at ninety 
pounds, there would be an excess pressure of 
twenty pounds in the main reservoir. The 
object in carrying this extra or excess pressure 
is to enable the engineer to quickly recharge the 
trainpipe after making a reduction, in order to 
strike the triple pistons a hammer blow to drive 
them to release position. 



SECTION 3 
CHAPTER III 

^VESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE DEFECTS — HOW TO TEST 
FOR AND REMEDY THEM 

While a great many defects are constantly 
found in the air-brake equipment, it must be 
borne in mind that they arise more from abuse 
and neglect than from wear and tear. 

When it is taken into account that the equip- 
ment is handled by such a great variety of men, 
and is required to perform its function under 
such varying conditions, it is really amazing that 
it will remain in service as long as it does with 
out having to be renewed. But, as good as it is, 
it can easily get out of order, and the growing 
demand for greater safety in the running and 
handling of trains requires that the equipment 
be kept in as nearly perfect condition as pos- 
sible, to reduce to a minimum the recurrence of 
the terrible wrecks and accidents that will con- 
tinue to happen as long as railroads exist. 

There are many once happy homes now 
shrouded in black despair as the result of some 
air brake defect that was either neglected or 
overlooked until it was too late. For instance, 

197 



iqS modern AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

an engineer on a certain road in Pennsylvania 
was pulling a heavy freight train over a moun- 
tain division, and having neglected to keep his 
air pump in proper condition, could not pump 
sufficient air to overcome the trainpipe leaks 
and still maintain the proper pressure in the 
auxiliaries, and as a consequence the braking 
power of the train gradually fell down and down 
until, upon reaching a very heavy grade, the 
train got the start of the brakes, when, like a 
crazed monster it rushed down the mountainside 
until, like a flash, it left the rails and piled up a 
mass of wreckage beneath which lay the crushed 
remains of the engineer and fireman — and as a 
result two once happy wives were thus made 
widows, not because "the brakes failed to work," 
but because the engineer failed to maintain his 
brake equipment in the condition it should have 
been. 

I shall take up the various defects in the same 
order in which the several parts of the equip- 
ment have been described. 

The Triple \^alve. The duties of the triple 
valve being to charge, set and release the brake, 
if it fails to do any one of these things it is 
because there is a defect somewhere, and if the 
trainmen expect the equipment to be kept in 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 199 

working order, they must be able to make an 
intelligent report to the car repairers. 

Failure to charge the auxiliary may be on 
account of any of the following reasons: The 
strainer being clogged, feed groove clogged, bad 
leak under the slide valve, bolts loose on triple, 
bad gaskets, or if the release valve on the aux- 
iliary does not seat properly. A very bad leak 
by the emergency valve will cause the brake to 
set while the auxiliary is being charged, and the 
air will be heard blowing out of the retainer. 

Faihtre to set the brake may result from not 
having sufficient pressure in the auxiliary; triple 
piston packing ring worn so that auxiliary pres- 
sure reduces as fast as trainpipe pressure is 
reduced; very dirty strainer preventing reduc- 
tion to be made quick enough to close the feed 
groove in triple; leaky cylinder; and sometimes 
the supply port in the triple valve seat becomes 
clogged up, preventing the auxiliary pressure 
from getting into the cylinder. It has happened 
that the supply pipe in the auxiliary of freight 
equipments has become clogged so that no air 
can get into the brake cylinder, but this is very 
rare. 

Failure to release may be caused by not raising 
the trainpipe pressure above the auxiliary pres- 



200 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

sure quick enough, as the pressure will equalize 
and fail to move the slide valve if the triple pis- 
ton packing ring is badly worn or gummed up, 
or if the strainer is clogged and retards the flow 
of air, either of which will cause the brake to 
remain set. This frequently happens after an 
emergency application, for as the auxiliary pres- 
sure is then very high, it is necessary that the 
trainpipe pressure should be raised suddenly 
against the plain side of the triple piston, other- 
wise a leak by the packing ring would allow the 
auxiliary to charge without releasing the brake, 
and as a consequence the wheels would be slid, 
or bursted, or a drawhead pulled out. If the 
retainer is turned up, or any dirt clogs in the 
retainer pipe, or should port Ji in the triple valve 
seat become clogged, the brake cannot be re- 
leased from the engine, and must be bled off by 
letting the air escape through the auxiliary 
release valve, unless the car is equipped w^th a 
release signal, when it can be used to let the 
brake off. But w^hen a car is not so equipped, 
and should the auxiliary release valve become 
clogged before the triple moves to release posi- 
tion, take out the drain plug in the auxiliary. 
Should the hand brake be set, on a freight car, 
the push rod would not follow the piston back 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 201 

when the air was released, nor if the brake rig- 
ging was caught on a bolt head, or anything. A 
great amount of oil on the slide valve seat will 
prevent a brake being bled off on a detached 
car, as the oil forms a suction so that the cylinder 
pressure can't lift the slide valve to let the air 
out. 

Blow at the triple exhaust, or at the retainer, is 
caused by a leak from either the auxiliary or 
trainpipe side of the triple piston, and may be 
that the slide valve is off its seat, or the gasket 
between the triple and auxiliary may be leaking, 
either of which would be a leak from the aux- 
iliary side of the piston; sometimes, on freight 
cars only, the blow may be caused by a leak in 
the supply pipe (b) between the triple and brake 
cylinder, but this is rare; a blow from the train- 
pipe side on the triple piston would be caused 
by a leak under the em^ergency valve, or there 
may be a leak by check gasket 14. To tell 
where the blow is coming from, cut the brake 
out and if it sets itself the leak is from the train- 
pipe side of the triple piston; if the brake don't 
set when you cut it out, the trouble is an aux- 
iliary leak, and to tell if it is the triple gasket or 
the slide valve, cut the brake in and make a 
reduction on the trainpipe, and if the blow stops 



202 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

while the brake is set but starts again when the 
brake is released, it is the gasket, but if the blow 
continues while the brake is set or released the 
slide valve is causing the trouble. 

Quick action y or going into emergency when only 
a service application was made, is caused by 
either a sticky triple, weak or broken graduating 
spring, or broken graduating valve pin. The 
latter trouble and a sticky triple both act alike, 
for on the first light reduction, if it is a stick}^ 
triple, the slide valve fails to move and open the 
port into the brake cylinder, and a broken pin 
would prevent the graduating valve from unseat- 
ing, and in either case when the second reduc- 
tion was made the graduating spring could not 
prevent the triple from going to emergency 
position. This action would be the same no 
matter in what part of the train the defective 
triple was located, but if the emergency was 
caused by a weak or broken graduating spring it 
would have to be within seven cars from the 
engine, and would show itself on the first light 
reduction. To find which car it is, cut out a part 
of the train and have the engineer make a very 
light reduction, and if you find a brake not set, 
watch it while the second reduction is being 
made and you will see it fly on, when of course 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 203 

you will cut it out. If you cut a part of the train 
out and the brakes fail to go in the emergency, 
you know that the trouble is not in that part of 
the train, when you will cut in more cars and try 
again, until you find the bad triple. When a 
train is equipped with the release signal it is not 
necessary to cut out a part of the train to find 
the "kicker," as a five-pound reduction will cause 
all the good brakes to show a portion of their 
signal, and the bad brake will show no signal 
until the second light reduction, when it will fly 
into the emergency. This can be seen from the 
ground or on the top of a freight train. 

Eight-inch Pump. Where the same defect is 
possible in the 9>^ as in the eight-inch pump, it 
will be explained under the 9^-inch pump. 

If the stem of the reversing piston gets broken 
the pump will sometimes fail to reverse, until 
the piston is jarred down again by lightly tap- 
ping over the cap nut. 

If the stop pin becomes broken the main valve 
will drop down and allow the packing ring of 
the small piston to catch and prevent the pump 
from reversing. 

Should the packing rings on either of the 
main valve pistons, or the reversing piston, 
become so badly worn as to allow free passage 



204 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

of steam, the pump would not work, and if suffi- 
cient oil does not reach the reversing piston the 
pump is liable to stop. 

Nt7i€ and One-half Inch Pump. Constant 
attention and careful management is required 
to keep an air pump in proper working order. 
It is always best to work a pump to its proper 
capacity, but it ruins it to overwork it. Your 
pump is your best friend, so take care of it. 

Pump Runjiing Hot. This may be caused 
from leaky packing rings on the main air pis- 
ton; the piston-rod packing being too tight; not 
enough lift to the discharge valves; choked air 
passages or choked discharge pipe; leaky dis- 
charge valves, too small a main reser\'oir with 
long train, and fast running. To prevent chok- 
ing up air passages or discharge pipe, or causing 
valves to leak don't use too much oil in the air 
cylinder, and never allow it to be sucked through 
the air inlet. To prevent overheating never run 
the pump faster than sixty full strokes a minute, 
and never run it with leaky valves or packing 
rings. 

To test for leaky discharge valves, pump up to 
ninety pounds in the main reservoir and shut off 
the pump, then open the oil cup and hold your 
finger over it, and if top discharge valve is leak- 



Its use and abus£ 20^ 

ing the air will blow out continuously. For test- 
ing bottom discharge valve remove bottom plug. 
The plug should be removed before making oil- 
cup test, as a leaky bottom valve and leaking 
packing rings would let air blow by the piston. 

To test for leaky packing rings, on the air 
piston, open the oil cup, run the pump about 
forty-five strokes a minute, and if they leak you 
will feel a gush of air through the oil cup as the 
piston makes the down-stroke. 

Jiggling, or dancing, of the main piston is usu- 
ally caused by too much oil getting under the 
seat of the reversing valve. To take the valve 
out shut off the pump until you get the cap nut 
off, then give it enough steam to raise the pis- 
ton, when you can catch the valve. In putting 
it back be sure you get the groove over the 
guide pin. A bent reversing valve stem will 
sometimes catch on the reversing plate, or the 
latter, having a burr on it, will cause the pump 
to jiggle. 

Potntding may be caused by any of the follow- 
ing defects: Too much lift in the air valves; 
pump loose from frame or frame loose from 
boiler; a worn shoulder on reversing valve not 
allowing piston to reverse quick enough; bot- 
tom end of piston rod worn too far into piston 



2c6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

head, which allows piston to strike before re- 
versing: nuts loose on main piston. If the 
pump is started up fast it will pound if the con- 
densation ii* not drained from the steam erd, or 
if there is no air cushion for the piston to strike 
against. 

T}u Eleven-inch Pump, being made after the 
same pattern as the nine-inch pump, the same 
rules will apply to both pumps. 

Pump. Governor. If the governor don't shut 
ofiF at all and the diaphragm valve port is not 
closed, it is because the pressure has equalized 
on both sides of the air valve, and the vent port 
and waste pipe need to be opened. If the gov- 
ernor shuts off at a low pressure, it is either 
because the regulating spring is too loose, or the 
diaphragm valve diny or battered so it won't 
seat, or the valve has been filed off too short so 
it can't seat. 

The Gauge. If, with the brake valve in full 
release, the red hand shows less than the black 
hand, it is because the gauge pipes have been 
crossed or .the hands have become twisted on 
the pinion. 

The gauge should be tested once a month by 
attaching a test gauge to the trainpipe hose on 
the tender, and placing the brake valve in full 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 207 

release for the red hand and in running position 
for the black hand. 

Engineer s Brake Valve. The only thing that 
can get wrong with a brake valve is a leak some- 
where which will let the pressures run together 
or escape to the atmosphere. 

Pressures Equalize in Running Position. If the 
handle is in running position and both hands 
show the same pressure, the trouble is one of 
three things: either the body gasket, rotary or 
feed valve is leaking. To tell which it is, place 
the handle in service position, and if the body 
gasket is cracked so that main reservoir pres- 
sure flows into cavity D as fast as it passes out 
of the preliminary exhaust, there will be no dis- 
charge from the trainpipe exhaust, and the 
brakes will not set. If the brakes do apply in 
service position, but release when the handle is 
brought to lap, the trouble is a leaky ^rotary. 
But if the brakes apply in service and remain set 
on lap, and when the handle is again brought to 
running position the pressures again equalize at 
main reservoir pressure, the feed valve needs 
attention. If it is a D-8 brake valve, any one of 
these leaks will allow the governor to shut off 
the pump at seventy pounds, as the governor is 
controlled by trainpipe pressure. In making 



2o8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

these tests the angle-cock behind the tender 
must be closed, as they cannot be satisfactorily 
made if the train brakes are cut in. 

To test if the supply valve of the feed valve is 
leaky, draw off all trainpipe pressure, lap the 
valve and remove the diaphragm piston, place 
the handle on running position and if the supply 
valve leaks you will feel the air blowing out by 
holding your finger under the valve. If no blow 
is felt, the trouble is either in the gasket betw^een 
the feed valve and brake valve, or else the rub- 
ber diaphragm buckles on account of the spring 
box being screwed up too tight. If it is a new 
slide valve feed valve, the trouble may be caused 
by spring 58 being gone, or the small valve 59 
having a bad seat or too short. 

Never oil any part of the old style feed valve, 
and use only high grade machine oil for the 
rotary and the slide valve of the new style feed- 
valve. 

Bloiu at Trainpipe Exhaust. This is caused 
either by a leak from cavity D or its connection 
with the little drum or black hand of the gauge, 
or dirt under the seat of the equalizing dis- 
charge valve If it is dirt causing the blow, it 
can generally be knocked out by closing the cut- 
out cock under the brake valve and making a 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 209 

reduction of about fifteen pounds and then 
throwing the handle to full release, which will 
cause the short trainpipe temporarily to have a 
higher pressure than cavity D, and of course the 
discharge valve is forced up and the air rushes 
out the trainpipe exhaust and blows the dirt out. 
x\fter trying this and the blow continues, then 
look over the pipe connections. 

If the pipe to the little drum gets broken, plug 
it up and also the trainpipe exhaust and use the 
emergency position in making an application; 
but be very careful to place the handle gradually 
on emergency, and just as carefully bring it back 
to lap, to prevent releasing the brakes by the 
surging of the air. 

Failure to open the trainpipe exhaust when 
the handle is placed in service position, is on 
account of the discharge valve not raising. This 
may be due either to a broken body gasket, let- 
ting main reservoir pressure into cavity D, or 
the packing ring around the discharge valve 
may be letting the trainpipe pressure up on top 
of it. To tell which is causing the trouble, lap 
the brake valve, and if it is the body gasket, the 
trainpipe and main reservoir pressure will equal- 
ize. 

Whistle Signal. A leak in the signal pipe will 



2IO MODERN AIR-BRAK:E PRACTICE 

cause the whistle to blow. If the supply valve 
of the reducing valve leaks and allows main 
reservoir pressure to equalize with the signal 
pipe, whenever a trainpipe reduction is made 
and the brakes released, the whistle will blow, 
because the main reservoir air going into the 
trainpipe allows the signal pipe air to flow back 
into the main reservoir, which thus makes a reduc- 
tion on the signal pipe and blows the whistle. 

If the whistle fails to respond it is more than 
likely on account of the rubber diaphragm in the 
signal valve being baggy, or the whistle needs 
adjusting, or it is cut out at the reducing valve, 
or an angle-cock is turned. 

If more than one blast is heard when but one 
pull was made, it may be that the diaphragm 
stem needs filing off to allow it to drop further 
down, or there may be dirt holding it up. 

Should the signal pipe fail to charge up it is 
either cut out at the reducing valve or there is 
some dirt lodged in the small opening which 
admits the main reservoir pressure into the 
reducing valve. 

When releasing brakes on a passenger train, 
if the whistle blows it i^s because the reducing 
valve is letting the signal pipe air back into the 
main reservoir. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 211 

The engine air gauge can be used in setting the 
reducing valve by drawing the main reservoir 
pressure down to forty pounds, and slacking off 
the regulating spring until the whistle fails to 
blow when the main reservoir pressure is 
reduced below forty pounds. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO SEC- 
TION 3 

THE CAUSE OF WESTINGHOUSE AIR-liRAKE DEFPXTS 
AND HOW TO DETECT AND REMEDY THEM 

The followiniT questions will start with the 
engine equipment and be carried right through 
the train. 

45. \\ hat effect is produced by leaky packing 
rings in the air end of the pump? 

Ans. — It prevents the pump from producing 
the proper amount of air within the required 
time and causes it to run hot, for the reason that 
if the packing rings are leaking, on the down- 
stroke of the pump the air which is being com- 
pressed in the lower end of the cylinder would 
be forced to the upper end and prevent the 
receiving valve from letting in the required 
amount of fresh air, thereby lowering the effi- 
ciency of the pump. The same action will cause 
the pump to run hot for the reason that on a 
warm summer's day the air in a pump working 
against a ninety-pound pressure in the main 

reservoir is raised to a temperature of 550 

212 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



213 



degrees, and naturally if the free air is satu- 
rated with a portion of the compressed air which 
is already made hot by compression, it follows 
that a second compression of it greatly increases 
the temperature, thereby causing the pump to 
run hot. 

46. How should you test for leaky packing 
rings in the pump? 

Ans. — First ascertain if the discharge valves 
are leaking, which is done by shutting off the 
steam to the pump and opening the oil cup and 
removing the bottom plug, and holding your 
finger slightly above the oil cup to see if any air 
is blowing out. If the air blows out of the oil 
cup the top discharge valve is leaking, and if it 
blows out of the bottom plug hole the lower dis- 
charge valve is leaking. If no blow is felt either 
at the oil hole or plug hole, then replace the 
plug, leave the oil cup open and start up the 
pump at about forty strokes a minute, and if 
the packing rings are leaking you will feel a 
gush of air through the oil hole as the pump 
makes the down-stroke. 

47. What will cause a pump to jiggle or 
dance? 

Ans. — Too much oil getting under the seat of 
the reversing valve, or if the reversing valve 



214 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

stem catches on the reversing plate, or if the 
reversing plate has a burr on it. it has a chance 
to jiggle. 

48. What will cause a pump to pound? 

Ans. — Too much lift in the air valves; pump 
being loose. from the frame, or frame loose from 
the boiler; a worn shoulder on the reversing 
valve which would prevent the piston from 
reversing quick enough; the bottom end of the 
piston-rod worn too far into the piston head will 
allow the piston to strike before reversing; loose 
nuts on the main piston; or if the pump is 
started to running fast before the condensation 
has been properly drained, or if there is no air 
cushion for the piston to strike against. 

4Q. When should the air end of the pump be 
oiled? 

Ans. — Ever>' time the engine is started on a 
trip and oftener if required, but great care must 
be taken not to get too much oil in the air end 
as it will cause the valves to gum up and make the 
pump run hot. Automatic oil cups should be used. 

50. What kind of oil should be used in the 
pump? 

Ans. — Cylinder oil' engine oil should never be 
used in the pump. 

51. How often should a pump be cleaned? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 215 

Ans. — At least every six months by running a 
solution of potash through it, and in doing so 
the connections between the main reservoir and 
the tender should be broken so that no potash 
can work into the brake equipment. 

52. If the trainpipe and main reservoir pres- 
sure equilizes while the handle of the brake 
valve is in running position, what might be caus- 
ing the leak? 

Ans. — Any one of three things; either the 
rotary valve, the body gasket, or feed-valve 
attachment. To tell which it is, place the 
handle in service position and if the body gasket 
is cracked so that main reservoir pressure flows 
into cavity D as fast as it passes out of the pre- 
liminary exhaust, there will be no discharge 
from the trainpipe exhaust and the brakes will 
not set. If the brakes apply in service position, 
but release when the handle is brought to lap, 
the trouble is a leaky rotary. But if the brakes 
apply on service and remain set on lap, and 
when the handle is again brought to running 
position the pressure again equalizes, it is the 
feed valve that needs attention. To tell if it is 
the supply valve of the feed valve, draw off all 
trainpipe pressure, lap the valve, and remove 
the diaphragm piston, place the handle in run- 



2i6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

ning position, and if the supply valve leaks you 
will feel the air blowing out by holding your 
finger under the valve. If no blow is felt the 
trouble is either in the gasket between the fccid 
valve and the brake valve, or else the diaphragm 
buckles on account of the spring box being 
screwed up too tight. If it is a new slide vab^e 
feed valve, the trouble may be caused by spring 
58 being gone, or the small supply valve 59 hav- 
ing a bad seat, or else too short. If you are 
testing a D-8 brake valve, any one of these leaks 
will allow the governor to shut off the pump at 
seventy pounds for the reason that the governor 
is controlled by trainpipe pressure with this kind 
of a valve. 

53. Is there anything else that would prevent 
the trainpipe exhaust from opening in service 
position besides a cracked body gasket? 

Ans. — Yes. If the packing ring around the 
equalizing valve leaks badly it will allow the 
trainpipe pressure to get on top of it as fast as 
the preliminary exhaust port lets the air out of 
cavity D. 

54. Should you lose your equalizing reservoir, 
or damage it so that it leaked, how would you 
handle your train? 

Ans. — Plug the trainpipe exhaust and also the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 217 

pipe leading to the equalizing reservoir and use 
the emergency position for applying brakes, but 
be very careful to go slowly to the emergency 
position and also slow in bringing the handle to 
lap. 

55. If the pump governor doesn't shut off at 
all, what is the trouble? 

Ans. — It is because the pressure has equalized 
on both sides of the air valve, and the vent port 
and waste pipe need to be opened. If it shuts 
off at a low pressure It is caused by the regu- 
lating spring being too loose or the diaphragm 
valve is dirty or battered so that it wont seat, or 
else the valve has been filed off so that it Is too 
short to seat. 

56. What would cause the black hand of the 
gauge to show more pressure than the red hand? 

Ans. — Either the pipes have been crossed or 
the hands have become twisted on the pinion, or 
stuck. 

57. What will cause the whistle to blow when 
the brake valve handle is thrown to full release? 

Ans. — A leak in the supply valve In the 
reducing valve, which allows the signal whistle 
pressure to flow back into the main reservoir. 

58. What will prevent the whistle from 
responding when the whistle cord is pulled ? 



2i8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

Ans. — The rubber diaphragm In the signal 
valve being baggy, or the whistle not being 
properly adjusted. Of course, if it is cut out at 
the reducing valve, or a cut-out cock is turned it 
will not whistle. 

59. What will cause a blow at the triple 
exhaust? 

Ans. — A leak from either the auxiliary or 
trainpipe side of the triple piston. 

60. How many places are there at which such 
a leak might occur? 

Ans. — Four. Under the slide valve, or the 
gasket between the triple and auxiliary, under 
the emergency valve, or by check gasket 14. 
To tell where the blow is coming from, cut the 
brake out and if It sets itself the leak is from 
the trainpipe side of the piston; if the brake 
don't set when you cut it out the trouble is an 
auxiliary leak, and to tell if it is the triple gasket 
or the slide valve, cut the brake in and make a 
trainpipe reduction, and if the blow stops while 
the brake is set but starts again when the brake 
is released it is the gasket; but if the blow con- 
tinues while the brake is either set or released, it 
is the slide valve that is causing the trouble. 

61. What causes a brake to fly into the emer- 
gency when a service application is made? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE ^ig 

Ans. — It is either because of a sticky triple, 
weak or broken graduating spring, or broken 
graduating valve pin. The latter trouble and a 
sticky triple both act alike, for on the first light 
reduction if it is a sticky triple, the slide valve 
fails to move, and consequently no air gets into 
the brake cylinder, and a broken pin would pre- 
vent the graduating valve from unseating, so 
that in either case, when the second reduction 
was made the graduating spring could not pre- 
vent the full travel of the triple piston, and the 
brake would, of course, go into the emergency. 
The action would be the same no matter in what 
part of the train the defective triple was located, 
but a weak or broken graduating spring would 
cause an emergency application only when the 
defect is within seven cars from the engine, in 
which case the brakes would fly into emergency 
on the first light reduction. 



SECTION 4 
CHAPTER IV 

NEW YORK AIR-BRAKE EQUIPMENT — THE PARTS AND 

THEIR DUTIES 

As the reader has already thoroughly informed 
himself on the construction, operation and 
handling of the Westinghouse air-brake equip- 
ment, it will not be necessary to repeat here 
many of the things which have already been gone 
over. 

The question of leverage applies the same with 
one air-brake system as with another. The gen- 
eral instructions regarding train handling covers 
the New York Air Brake the same as it does the 
Westinghouse, with a few minor changes which 
will be explained in their proper order. 

The operation and care of the steam and air 
cylinders, air valves, etc., is the same with both 
systems. The specific differences are mentioned 
in their proper places. 

With this explanation you will at once see that 
aside from the information contained in the 
previous pages of this book it will only be neces- 
sary for me to explain the construction, operation 
and handling of the several parts of the New 
York Air-Brake Equipment in order for the 

220 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 221 

reader to be as fully informed on the New York 
air-brake system as he is on the Westinghouse. 

The order in which we will describe the New 
York Air-Brake Equipment is as follows: The 
Air Pump, Pump Governor, Engineer's Brake 
Valve, Triple Valve, Straight Air-Brake Valve, 
and Whistle Signal Apparatus. 

After describing the several parts of the equip- 
ment I shall then treat of the defects and diseases 
and their remedies, the same as I have with the 
Westinghouse equipment. 

THE NEW YORK DUPLEX AIR PUMP 

The New York Duplex Air Pump is now being 
made in four sizes, No. i. No. 2, No. 6, and No. 
5. In general principle they are all the same. 
This pump has four cylinders, two of which are 
for steam and two for air. The steam cylinders 
of the No. I pump are five inches in diameter; 
the high pressure air cylinder is five inches in 
diameter; and the low pressure air cylinder is 
seven inches in diameter. 

The steam cylinders of the No. 2 pump are 
seven inches in diameter, the high pressure air 
cylinder is seven inches and the low pressure air 
cylinder is ten inches in diameter; the steam 
cylinders of the No. 6 are seven inches, the high 



222 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




1 PIPE 
FROM BOILER 



2 DP 55' 
2 OP 19 
2 DP 1& 



DRAIN COCK 
CHART 35— FIG. 1. NEW YORK DUPLEX PUMP, PISTONS AT REST. 



5, MUS rjA 





(l^ 



rm^m^^ 












jr^^''^. 



3jT« :•'■••/ .'CP -■ 







-#'JhI 




i 




Plate 34. 

The New York Quick-Action Automatic Air Brake. 

Together with Signal Apparatus. 



DUPL-EX AIR PUMPa 




PLATE 3.5 



TENDER 



ENGINE 




GKNERAL ARRANGKMENT AND MKTllOD Or PIPING TlllC NF.W YORK COMIilNI-D Al'TOMA'lIC AND STRAIGHT AIR BRAKE. 



^uo^? 



^< \ 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



223 



pressure cylinder is seven inches, and the low 
pressure cylinder eleven inches; the steam cylin- 
ders of the No. 5 pump are eight inches in diam- 
eter, the high-pressure air cylinder is eight 
inches and the low-pressure air cylinder is twelve 
inches in diameter. 

The stroke of the Nos. i and 2 pump is nine 
inches, while the stroke of the No. 6 is ten inches, 
and the No. 5 is twelve inches. The No. 6 is 
meant to take the place of the No. 2, as it has 
better proportioned cylinders and a longer 
stroke. 

The air cylinders of the New York pumps are 
located above the steam cylinders, whereas with 
the Westinghouse pumps the air cylinders are lo- 
cated on the bottom end. The law pressure 
cylinder of the New York pump has a volume 
capacity of about double that of the high pres- 
sure cylinder. The diameter of the steam cylin- 
ders is always the same as the diameter of the 
high pressure air cylinder. 

A feature you should thoroughly impress your- 
self with in regard to the action of the New 
York. pump is that there is only one steam piston 
in motion at any one time, for whenever a piston 
has made its stroke it waits for the other piston 
to make a stroke before it moves again. This is 



224 MODERN .\IR-BRAK:E PIL\CTICE 




CKaBT oa FIG. J. 2CZ vT T'Jli^ DTPL-ZX AlB PTTMP, LOW PRESSUHK 

PISTOX OX TKZ T? iTP.CKE. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 225 

brought about by reason of the fact that the re- 
versing-valve on one piston controls the action of 
the opposite piston. 

As you are already familiar with the reversing- 
valve used in the Westinghouse pump, this 
knowledge will enable you to understand the 
action of the steam end of the New York pump, 
for the reason that the valve-gear of the steam 
end of the New York pump is very similar to an 
ordinary reversing-valve, in fact the general ap- 
pearance is the same. 

Like the steam piston in the Westinghouse 
pump the piston-rod is hollow, and on the re- 
versing-valve side of the steam piston there is a 
plate bolted which performs the same function 
in the New York pump as the reversing-valve 
rod plate does in the Westinghouse pump, that 
is, it moves the reversing-valve up or down. 

By referring to Fig. i, on Chart 35, this will be 
made very clear to you if you will but look at the 
engraving up-side-down, for in this position you 
will see that the reversing-valve rod extends 
down into the hollow steam piston-rod. You 
will also notice that this reversing-valve rod has 
a shoulder on one end and a button on the other 
end for the purpose of controlling the movement 
of the small D slide valve which is connected to 



226 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



CT^ 




20P21. 






1 PIPE 
FROM BOILER , 




1 DP 20 



2 DP 56 
2 DP 65 
2 DP 19 
2 DP 16 



DRAIN C OCK 

CHART 35 FIG. 3. XEW YORK DUPLEX PUMP, UP-STROKE, HIGH 

PRESSURE PISTON. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 227 

the reversing rod, the same as the reversing- 
valve is connected to its rod in the Westinghouse 
pump. 

¥lg. iMshows both steam pistons at rest. Now 
if you will turn the engraving right-side-up again 
you will notice that the boiler connection is 
made at the left-hand side. Now remember that 
the slide valve which controls the right steam 
cylinder is located under the /efi steam cylinder, 
and the valve that controls the left steam cylin- 
der is located under the ^^zg/i^ steam cylinder. 
This will be made plain to you when you notice 
that the ports are crossed, as shown by dotted 
lines. 

As the pump is shown with the pistons*at rest, 
you will notice that both slide-valves are in their 
bottom positions, so that as the steam enters the 
pump from the boiler it fills the slide-valve 
chamber under the left-hand piston and at the 
same time passes through port G to the slide- 
valve chamber under the right-hand piston, and 
live steam also passes through the port marked 
b to the under side of the right-hand piston and 
at the same time passes up through the port c to 
the top side of the left-hand piston; this causes 
the right-hand, or low pressure piston, to be 
forced up, as shown in Fig. 2, of Chart 35. Just 



228 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




H '' ^^ DP 



7 
5 



€ OiUIN COCK 

CHaET 35 — FIG. 4. XEW YORK DTPLEX PUMP. DO^TX-STEOKi;. LO"^ 

PKESSTTEZ PISTOX. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 229 

as the piston reaches the end of Its top stroke 
the reversing-rod plate engages the button on the 
end of the reversing-rod and pulls it up. This 
action connects port c with the exhaust cavity 
F and at the same time live steam from the re- 
versing-valve chamber under the right-hand pis- 
ton passes through port a to the under side of 
the left-hand piston, so that while the steam is 
exhausting from the top side of this piston live 
steam on the under side is pushing it up, as 
shown in Fig. 3, of Chart 35. As port b leads 
from the under side of the low pressure piston 
that port is still closed to the exhaust cavity by 
the left-hand slide-valve, so the right-hand piston 
is held up by the steam which is confined under 
it, but as soon as the left-hand piston reaches the 
end of its up stroke the reversing-rod is pulled 
up by the reversing-rod plate, thereby connect- 
ing port b with port F, by way of cavity E in the 
slide-valve, so that the steam can exhaust from 
the under side of the right-hand piston, and at 
the same time live steam from the left-hand 
slide-valve chamber passes through port d to the 
top of the right-hand piston, which forces it 
down, and when it reaches the end of its down 
stroke it reverses the slide-valve, thereby ex- 
hausting the steam from the under side of the 



230 MODERN' AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



-AUTOWATIC OIL CO^ 




2 OP 31 



1 PIPE 

FROM- 
BOILER 



2 OP 56/ 
2 DP 55', 
2 DP lr 
2 OP IS. 



1 DP 7 

2 OP 5 



□RAIN COCK 



CHART 35 — FIG. 5. 



NEW YORK DUPLEX PUMP, DOWN-STROKE, 
HIGH PRESSURE PISTO]!^, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



231 



left piston, and at the same time lets live steam 
get on the top side of that piston which forces it 
down, so that both pistons have now made a full 
stroke up and down. 

This valve arrangement is certainly very sim- 
ple and very effective. There are no packing 
rings to contend with in the reversing-valve ar- 
rangement, and if too much oil is not allowed to 
get into the slide-valve chambers there will be 
very little trouble result from this mechanism. 
If too much oil is allowed to get into the slide- 
valve chamber it will naturally cause the valve 
to be forced off- its seat, and thereby disarrange 
the port connections. 

The drain cock should always be left open 
when the pump is not working, and should always 
be opened before starting the pump in order to 
let the condensation pass away. 

The air end of the New York pumps, except 
the No. 6 and No. 5, contains six air valves; two 
of them are ordinary receiving valves; two are 
intermediate valves and two are ordinary dis- 
charge valves. On the No. i and No. 2 pump 
the receiving valves and intermediate valves are 
located between the two cylinders, as shown in 
Chart 35 and the two discharge valves are located 
on the left side of the pump, above an.d below 



232 MODERN AIR-BIL^ 



rLJvjL r r^--- 




i- 


~i 


m -5*- 


r- ~ 


1 






1 




i 


i 


R 




1 


i 


---i 




1 

i 


1 




i 


! 






1 



C«l 



w 



PTlsCP 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 233 

the pipe leading to the main reservoir, but the 
air valves on the No. 6 and No. 5 are arranged 
a little different, as will be explained further on, 
and are eight in number, instead of six as in the 
other pumps. (See plate 35, Fig. 6.) 

The reason the intermediate valves are so 
called is because of the fact that the low pres- 
sure cylinder discharges its air into the high 
pressure cylinder through these valves, and they 
are therefore intermediate between the low and 
high pressure air cylinders. 

The action of the air valves in the No. i and 
No. 2 pump is as follows: As the low pressure 
piston starts on its upward stroke a partial 
vacuum is created on the under side of it and 
atmospheric pressure forces the bottom receiv- 
ing valve up (this valve is marked 9) and allows 
the low pressure cylinder to receive a charge of 
atmospheric pressure, and as this piston does not 
move again until the piston in the high pressure 
cylinder makes its stroke, you will at once see 
that when the piston of the high pressure cylin- 
der moves up, and creates a partial vacuum, the 
bottom receiving valve and also the bottom in- 
termediate valve (marked No. 11) are both 
forced off their seats by atmospheric pressure 
rushing into the high pressure cylinder, and 



234 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



3 




To 



Air Pump 



■M-^si^^i^FWs Nut 
2 DP 56 



CHART 36 FIG 1. STYLE C, XEW YORK PUMP GOVERNOR, STEAM 

VALVE OPEX. 

when the atmosphere has equalized in both cylin- 
ders then both valves drop to their seats. As 
the low pressure piston starts down, as shown in 
Fig. 4 on Chart 35, the lower intermediate valve 

(i I ) is forced from its seat so that the compressed 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



235 



T 






3" „■ r\\\K^ 

8" C o^pp er P i_pe ^ ' ^'^'^'^> 
Air Connection 






I DP 58 
PG 38. 
1 DP 59. 

TPipe 



to Steam 
Y Y Valve>^^ 




- 2-\^ 



n 13 
*^ 16 



Air Pump 



Fits Nut 
2 DP 56 



CHART 36 FIG. 2. STYLE C, NEW YORK PUMP GOVERNOR, STEAM 

VALVE CLOSED. 



air in cylinder D passes into cylinder C, which 
was previously charged with atmospheric pres- 
sure, so that the cylinder C now contains three 
measures of air, for the reason that cylinder D is 
twice the size of the high pressure cylinder, C. 



2-^6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



Tc E: £r 




Pump 



.z.r 36 — ^FiG. 3. 



A. NEW TOKS: PUMP 



'ZmS'OS. 



While the low pressure piston is moving down 
the top receiving-valve (g) is forced from its seat 
by atmospheric pressure rushing into cylinder D. 

When the high pressure piston starts down, a 
partial vacuum is created in the high pressure 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



m 



Supplementary Reservtfl^ 



SINGLE PRESSURE SYSTEM 
Arra/igement of Pipifig 
) Duptex Gauge ^^^ 

DUPLEX GOVERNOR 

METHOD NO. 1 




-g— Copper pipe 
(Main ReiCrvoir Pressure 



Adjusted to 100 
or 110 lbs. 



ToPum<> 



CHART 36 — FIG. 4. NEW YORK AIR BRAKE. 



cylinder and atmospheric pressure forces the top 
receiving-valve and top intermediate valve from 
their seats, and when the pressure in both cylin- 
ders has equalized these valves drop to their 
seats the same as did the bottom valves. Now 
as the low pressure piston starts up, the air on 
the top side of it is compressed, which causes the 
top receiving-valve to be held to its seat while 
the top intermediate valve is forced from its seat 
and the air from cylinder D is forced into cylin- 
der C, as shown in Fig. 2, Chart 35. 



238 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

From the above description it is seen that the 
high pressure cylinder at every stroke of its pis- 
ton discharges into the main reservoir, through 
either the top or bottom discharge valve, three 
full measures of air, one received from the at- 
mosphere direct and a double-sized one from the 
low pressure cylinder, so that this pump is not 
only duplex but it is also a compound pump. 

Referring to the No. 5 duplex pump. Fig. 6, 
Chart 35, you will notice that there i3 an air inlet 
shown on both the right and left-hand side, the 
same as the No. 6 pump, and these are shown in 
Fig. 6. One air inlet is for the low pressure 
cylinder and one for the high pressure cylinder. 
The intermediate valves in the No. 5 and No. 6 
pumps are located the same as in the No. i and 
No. 2, but the No. 5 and No. 6 pumps have a 
separate set of receiving valves as shown in Fig. 
6. Fig. 6 plan view b, is the only way in which 
both air inlets can be seen together. 

The general instructions regarding oiling,speed, 
drainage, etc., apply to the New York pumps 
the same as they do to the Westinghouse pumps. 

The illustration of the New York pump shown 
on Chart 35 shows the automatic oil cup. This 
is a very simple device, as the method by which 
the oil IS passed into the air C37linder is very much 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 230 

after the same manner in which air is passed into 
the pump cylinder. 

The Westinghouse Automatic oil cup consists 
of a brass body, in the main chamber of which 
the oil is contamed, and extending through this 
chamber there is a regulating valve, the end of 
which is pointed so that if it is desired to increase 
or decrease the tiow of oil the pin-valve can be 
moved up or down by means of a regulating nut, 
and kept in position by a small lock nut. In the 
body of the valve below the pin-valve there is a 
ball valve, and the operation of this automatic 
oil cup is as follows: As there is a small port in 
the cap nut, atmospheric pressure is always ad- 
mitted to the top of the oil in the main oil 
chamber, consequently when the pump piston is 
moved down the partial vacuum in the pump 
cylinder causes the ball valve to be lifted off its 
seat so that the oil, which has previously passed 
from the main oil chamber around the point of 
the regulating valve into the passage controlled 
by the ball valve, is drawn into the pump in the 
form of a fine spray. When the piston makes its 
up stroke the compressed air holds the ball valve 
to its seat, thereby preventing the oil from being 
blown out of the oil cup chamber. This refers 
to the No. I oil cup. 



^40 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

The Xo. 2 W'estinghouse oil cup consists merely 
of a brass body having a chamber in which the oil 
is contained and. instead of having a ball valve 
and a regulating valve there is a small check valve 
to which is attached a needle-rod of very small 
diameter, and which extends up through a small 
opening in the bottom of the oil chamber. On 
the under side of the check valve there is a 
spring, so that the operation of the Xo. 2 auto- 
matic oil cup is as follows: As the pump piston 
makes a down stroke the partial vacuum in the 
pump cylinder causes the check valve to be un- 
seated, thereby allowing the oil to be drawn from 
the oil cup into the air C3dinder of the pump. 
The up stroke of the piston causes the check 
valve to be held to its seat, thereby preventing 
the oil from being blown out of the cup. 

In the body of both of these oil cups there are 
suitable heating chambers for the purpose of al- 
lowing the warm compressed air to surround the 
oil chamber, and thereby keep the oil in a liquid 
state. 

The Xew York automatic oil cup is made in 
two styles, A and B. Style A consists of a brass 
body in which there is an oil chamber, and in 
the center of the body there is a regulating valve 
which can be moved up or down for the purpose 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



241 



9iipp\tmenlity Retarvoir 



■g" Copper \ 



CuptcK G 11130 




SINGLE PRESSURE SYSTEM « 

Arrangement oi Piplno 

«pr 

SINGLE GOVERNOa 

METHOD NO. 4 



3" 

— Copper Pipe 



Tra'm Pipe Pressure 



Governor 
Adjusted to 70 IbS: 



To toiler 
Engineer's Brake Valve 




To PuniV 



c r y — 1 Cut*out Cock 




^ 1 Train Brake Pipe 



CHART 36 FIG. 5. NEW YORK AIR BRAKE. 



of increasing or decreasing the amount of oil to 
be fed to the pump. The operation of this cup 
is as follows.: When the piston in the air cylin- 
der moves up, compressed air is forced through 
the oil to the top of it, so that when the pump 
piston makes a down stroke the partial vacuum 
in the cylinder combines with the compressed air 



242 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 






y Cop per Pipe. 



Main Reservoir Pressure 



DOUBLE PRESSURE SYSTEM 
ArraRgcment of PiptAg 
far 
DUPLEX GOVERNOR 

METHOD NO. 2 

-^ Copper Pipe 

Duplex governor 
Train Pipe Pressure A ] a 

Adjusted to 70 ms. H » R Adjusted to 1C(J 
=cW -~-~_.Si -^3=— or 110 lb.. 



To Pum p 




CHART 36 FIG. 6. XEW YORK AIR BRAKE. 



on top of the oil and causes a small portion of oil 
to be drawn into the air cylinder of the pump 
and sprayed around the walls. 

The Xew^ York style B automatic oil cup has 
no adjustable feed, but has a very small port 
through the body of the oil cup which permits a 
small amount of oil to be drawn into the air c^^lin- 
der every time the piston makes a down stroke. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



243 



NEW YORK PUMP GOVERNORS 

The principle of the New York pump governor 
is the same as the Westinghouse, and when you 
understand one you can operate the other. 
There is a slight difference in the construction, 
but not enough to make it necessary to re-describe 
the entire governor here. It has a diaphragm, 
regulating spring and a regulating nut, just the 
same as the Westinghouse, but instead of having 
a diaphragm pin-valve like the Westinghouse, 
the diaphragm-valve in the New York governor' 



6<ipplcmenUry Rasarvoir 

in 



-|- Coppi 
Pipe 



I 



-i Copper Pipe_^ 



Mi!n Rcsei 
Pressu 



If more convenient make 
eunnection with main 
reservoir top of Governor 
With Tee 



DOUBLE PRESSURE SYSTtM 
A'rangement of Piping 



1 Rtnrvoir Pipe 




A^iusled to 100 or 140 lb(< 
Main Reservoir Top 



If more convenient thl» 
connection can be mad* 
at Engineer's Val«« 



CHART 36 — FIG. 7. NEW YORK AIR BRAKE, 



244 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

closes the port leading from the diaphragm 
chamber to the steam piston. Another difference 
is that there is no spring under the steam piston 
as in the Westinghouse, so that the steam valve 
and the steam-valve piston is forced up by steam 
pressure alone, whereas with the Westinghouse 
both steam and spring are used to force the 
steam-valve piston up. There is an outlet port 
from the steam piston chamber lo allow any back 
pressure to escape to the atmosphere, which is 
the same as in the Westinghouse. This vent port 
prevents the pressure from accumulating under 
the steam piston, for if not allovv^ed to escape 
the air pressure on top would not be able to force 
the steam valve to its seat and shut off the pump, 
whereas, when steam is operating against the 
steam-valve alone it only requires about one-third 
as much air pressure on the large area of the top 
of the piston to overcome the steam pressure and 
force the steam valve down. 

Fig. I, in Chart 36, shows style C of the New 
York Pump Governor with the steam-valve open, 
and Fig. 2 shows this same style C governor 
with the steam-valve closed. 

The old style A New York governor requires 
a key with which to set the regulating spring, 
and is shown in Fig. 3 of Chart 36. 



ITS USE AND ALUSE 245 

The duplex pump governor is simply a gov- 
ernor with one steam portion but having two air 
portions, as shown in Fig. 4, Chart 36. A du- 
plex governor consists of one steam-valve body, 
steam-valve, steam-valve piston, and a Siamese 
fitting to which is attached two pressure taps, or 
diaphragm-valve portions. 

The method of piping the governor differs ac- 
cording to whether or not a single or double 
pressure system is to be controlled. 

The method of piping used in the single pres- 
sure system, that is, the ordinary automatic air- 
brake, is shown in Fig. 4, Chart 36. In this 
diagram you will notice that the trainpipe pres- 
sure is connected to only one side of the gov- 
ernor, and is adjusted to seventy pounds, while 
the other side is connected to the main reservoir, 
and may be adjusted at ninety or a hundred 
pounds, or whatever number of pounds is con- 
sidered standard on the particular road opera- 
ting the device. You will notice there are no 
cut-out cocks on the pipe leading to the Duplex 
governor, for the reason that with this method 
of piping the movement of the brake valve 
handle determines just which side of the governor 
is operative. This will be explained more 
fully when we describe the engineer's brake valve. 



246 xMODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

Fig. 5 shows the method of piping a single 
governor for a single pressure system. With the 
New York Brake Valve the single governor 
would be connected to the trainpipe, whereas 
with the Westinghouse system the single pump 
governor is always connected to the main reser- 
voir. 

Fig. 6 in Chart 36 shows a cut-out cock in the 
pipe leading from the low pressure side of the 
governor to a T connection with the trainpipe, 
so that by cutting out the low pressure governor 
the trainpipe pressure will be raised to one hun- 
dred or a hundred and ten pounds, as the case 
may be, according to what the high pressure 
governor is set at. But it must be remembered 
that with this method of piping there is no separ- 
ate governor control for the main resen^oir pres- 
sure. (See New York Brake Valve.) 

Fig. 7, Chart 36, shows the triplex governor by 
which the main reservoir pressure is controlled 
in addition to giving two other degrees of control 
to the trainpipe pressure as may be desired. 
With the triplex pump governor the main reser- 
voir pressure can be adjusted at any point that 
may be considered safe. If it were the high 
pressure control system or the high speed brake 
it would be proper to set the main reserv'oir 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 247 

governor at one hundred and ten or one hundred 
and twenty pounds, and the middle pressure-top 
would be set at ninety or one hundred and ten 
pounds, and the remaining top at seventypounds. 

With the New York Brake Valve on lap, serv- 
ice or emergency position there is no connec- 
tion between the brake valve and the trainpipe 
pump governor, so that if the brake valve had 
only one governor, as shown in Fig 5, and the 
handle of the brake-yalve should be left on lap, 
service, or emergency position, there would be 
nothing to stop the pump, and consequently it 
would continue to operate as long as the steam 
in the boiler could move it, but when the Duplex 
governor is used and one governor pipe is con- 
nected to the trainpipe and one to the main res- 
ervoir, as shown in Fig. 4, then if the brake valve 
handle should be on lap, service or emergency 
position the pump would have to shut off when 
the main reservoir pressure reached the point at 
which the main reservoir governor was set. 

Pump and Pump Governor Defects and Rem- 
edies will be treated in their proper order in a 
chapter devoted to that subject. 

THE NEW YORK ENGINEER'S BRAKE VALVE 

The student of air-brakes who possesses a pre- 
vious knowledge of the Westinghouse Engineer's 



248 MODERN 



-BRAKE ? 



Brake Valve, rr us: rr~r~:rr when studying ihe 
New York Engineer's Zri/.t Valve that vrher! a 
service ac plication is 

house va> e the ^rs: ^ 
top of the equalizirr 
with the New Y:r 



•e of air is from oQ the 
tha"rr valve, whereas 
5: -ate of 



.ve tne 




CnAr-T 37 ^FIG. 1. XEW T-; 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



24Q 



A ,M 




EV-!02A 





I 1 



CHART 37 FIG. 2. FULL RELEASE POSITION OF BRAKE VALVE. 



air in making a service application is direct from 
the trainpipe, but that the port opening from the 
trainpipe to the atmosphere is much smaller in 
making a service application than it is when mak- 
ing an emergency application. 



250 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




EV-I02A 



Train Pice Main Reservoir 
CHART 37 FIG. 3. RUXXING POSITION NEW YORK BRAKE VALVE. 

Another important feature that the student 
should impress himself with at the beginning is 
that the service position on the New York Brake 
Valve is divided up into five notches, and that if 
he is handling a train of four cars or less with the 
New York Brake Valve he should always begin 
a service application by placing the handle in the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



251 




T 



Main Reservoir 



Train Pipe 
CHART 37 — FIG. 4. LAP POSITION, NEW YORK BRAKE VALVE. 



first notch, because of the fact that the service 
port gradually becomes wider as the handle is 
moved over the quadrant, and with a short train 



252 



MOBlLSLS AML-li&ACE PRACTICE 



n 



= .1 =■ I 


C ?» 


at 


;^i^>^^^#M^' 


y 

■^///j^:///i 


3u^ 



£ J) ? C 




Trairr ?^ oe .llsiit t«aer-»aie 



of f oar car? 



^^P- '^(T 



IS SO 

: tbe 



"HcraficMi^ as it allows iuLue: 



; : 5 : t : ^ ^ -rdnced too suddenly. 

Vv iLiL rrr— t : : : - " tiiHi^ let ns now begin a care- 
€d1 stndy^ ot : ::. - 1 ^ : ' : ^ ' r ' = r r s AntCMnadc 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



253 




Train Pipe Main Reservoir 

CHART 37 FIG. 6. SERVICE POSITION. 

Brake Valve, Style B. (The old style A Is not 
being made any more, and it will not be neces- 
sary to speak of it until we have fully described 
the present standard, which is Style B, or B i.) 



254 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




Train Pipe Main Reservon^ 



CHART 37 FIG. 7. EMERGENCY POSITION, NEW YORK BRAKE 

VALVE. 



The essential parts to the New York Brake 
Valve^ as shown in Chart 'x,'], are (aside from the 
body and cover which contain the parts) a main 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



255 



slide-valve, which is connected by a link to a 
shaft operated by a handle, in which there is a 
lock bolt for the purpose of engaging the notches 
on the quadrant. Under the main slide-valve 
there is a small cut-off slide-valve which is con- 
trolled by an arm connected to a graduating pis- 
ton. The graduating piston contains a small ball 
valve for the purpose of admitting air into cham- 
ber D or supplementary reservoir, and a ball- 
faced vent valve fastened to the end of the equal- 
izing piston for the purpose of closing port O. 



K 



FACE OF SLIDE VALVE 

M 



SmM : 



p J 



CHART 37 FIG. 8. FACE OF SLIDE VAIiVE. 




n IT 



CHART 37 — FIG. 9. SHOWING PORT "o" IN MAIN SLIDE VALVE 

SEAT. 



256 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

The diagram of the brake valve in which the 
duplex gauge is shown (Chart -iH^ Fig. 1), also il- 
lustrates how the single governor, supplementary 
reservoir, main reservoir, and trainpipe are con- 
nected to the brake-valve, making in all six pipe 
connections. 




CHART 37 FIG. 10. CROSS SECTION OF XE\^ YORK BRAKE VALVE, 

SHOWIXG PASSAGE "h" IN BODY AND PASSAGE "o" 
IN THE VALVE COVER. 

Fig. 2, Chart '^'], shows the handle in full release 
position. In studying this illustration you will 
notice on the top right-hand corner a sectional 
view of the excess pressure valve. The location 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 257 

of this valve on the brake valve Is shown in Fig. 
10, Chart 2)7- 

In the left top corner of Fig. 2 you will notice a 
view of the main slide-valve and valve seat. In 
studying this view of the face of the main slide- 
valve you must remember that you see it as 
though you were looking directly through the top 
of the valve, and that the slanting lines represent 
the face of the main slide-valve while the dotted 
horizontal lines represent the slide-valve seat. 
You will notice that port K in the main slide 
valve extends across nearly the whole width of 
the valve, as does also the cavity marked M, and 
that the ports F and G are directly in the center, 
while port J and cavity P are on the side, there- 
fore when looking at the main slide-valve sec- 
tionalized you must remember that you are look- 
ing at it as though it were cut half in two. This 
view shows plainly cavities M, F-G, K, and also 
Ports F and G, but you cannot see in the sec- 
tional view ports O, J, or cavity P. The port 
marked A in the valve seat is the opening that 
leads from chamber B by the end of the main 
slide-valve into chamber A, and this port A is 
controlled by the face of the main slide-valve. 

In Fig. 2 you will notice that port F is closed 
by the main valve seat, whereas in the diagram 



258 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

of running position port F is closed by the small 
cut-off valve. The position of the cut-off valve 
is indicated by dotted lines in the view illustrat- 
ing the face of the main valve. The large ex- 
haust-cavity C is also indicated by dotted lines 
in the plan view of the main slide-valve seat. 

The main slide-valve has four cavities, which 
are designated as M, F-G, P. and K. The ports 
in the main slide-valve are F, G, J, K, and X. 
The ports in the main valve seat are designated 
as E, A, C, and O. 

As this great number of ports is likely to some- 
what confuse the student, we will try to simplify 
the matter by saying that when the main slide- 
valve is moved to full release position main reser- 
voir air from chamber B passes by the end of the 
slide-valve directly through the large port A into 
chamber A and straight into the trainpipe. 

When the handle of the brake valve is in run- 
ning position, main reservoir pressure passes 
through port E in the slide valve seat and ca\4ty 
M in the slide-valve into port A and the train- 
pipe. While the air is passing from chamber B 
through cavity M it is also passing through cham- 
ber E into the pump-governor pipe. 

In lap positions ports E and A in the slide- 
valve seat are closed by the main slide-valve, and 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 259 

exhaust port F is kept closed by the small cut-off 
valve, as shown in Fig. 4, Chart 2)7- 

In service graduating position (Fig. 5), ports E 
and A are closed by the main slide-valve, but 
port F is moved back of the cut-off valve, so that 
while main reservoir pressure is shut off, train- 
pipe pressure can pass up through port F in the 
main slide-valve and out through port G into the 
main exhaust cavity C. 

The handle being in service graduating posi- 
tion, when trainpipe pressure has exhausted 
below the pressure in the supplementary reser- 
voir or chamber D, the equalizing piston is then 
forced forward by chamber D pressure, which 
causes the cut-off valve to move over and close 
exhaust port F. With the handle in service 
graduating position the main slide-valve closes 
the top end of port O, for, if it did not, when the 
equalizing piston moved forward the unseating 
of the ball-faced check valve would permit all 
the air from the supplementary reservoir to 
escape, and thereby prevent the automatic lap- 
ping of the brake valve. 

Should the handle be moved to another serv- 
ice graduating notch, just as soon as the train- 
pipe pressure had exhausted below what was left 
in the supplementary reservoir the equalizing 



26o MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

piston would again move forward and cause the 
cut-off valve to again lap exhaust port F. This 
action would continue in each of the graduat- 
ing notches, but when the handle is moved 
to emergency position the valve does not au- 
tomatically lap itself, for the reason that the 
equalizing piston has then made its full stroke. 
. When the handle is in emergency position, 
Fig. 7, the large port in the main slide-valve, 
marked J, is connected to the large exhaust port 
marked K, which causes the trainpipe pressure 
to pass out through exhaust passage C and 
be reduced suddenly, thereby causing all the 
triple valves in the train to go to emergency 
position. 

When the handle is thrown from emergency, 
service or lap position back to full release, the 
raising of the trainpipe pressure drives the equal- 
izing piston back, which causes the vent-valve 
(i8o) in the end of the piston (104 A) to close the 
bottom end of passage O, for in full release, run- 
ning or positive lap position the top end of port 
O is open to exhaust cavity C by way of cavity 
P in the main slide-valve. 

In order to firmly fix in the student's mind the 
purpose of the several ports and cavities we will 
run over them again as follows: 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 261 

Port E In the slide-valve seat and cavity M in 
the main slide-valve are primarily used for the 
purpose of directing the main reservoir pressure 
through the excess pressure valve into the train- 
pipe. 

Chamber E supplies trainpipe pressure to the 
pump governor. 

Ports F and G in the main slide-valve are train- 
pipe exhaust ports for the purpose of making a 
service application of the brakes. 

Ports J and K are primarily used for the pur- 
pose of making an emergency application in con- 
nection with exhaust port C. 

Passage C is the main exhaust port of the brake 
valve. 

Cavity P is for the purpose of connecting port 
O in the main valve seat with the exhaust pas- 
sage C. 

Port N in the main valve is for the purpose of 
increasing the area of port A when the handle is 
in full release position, thereby allowing a full 
and free passage of main reservoir air into the 
trainpipe when releasing the brakes. 

Passage O begins in the cap of the valve 
body (102 A), and passes through the wall of the 
cover (115 A) of the brake valve when it sinks 
into the valve body (loi A) and ends up in the 



262 MODERN AIR-BRAKZ - ? : T J Z 

main s ' i t ■ ^ t i :, under the main slide- 
¥cd¥e. 

Passage H.whicJi leads from chamber D, passes 
through the body of the brake iral^e to the pipe 
cronnecdmi with the supplementary reservt>ir. 

A small 4>aD-iralve (1S4) in th r r : 1 : ng 
piston is for the purpose of snppl r ^ i.r zr.t 
supplementary reservoir so that the trainpipe 
and fJiamber D pre^nires may Gqu 1 ■ i r - : t 
brake valve is in either rnnnin^ : r rt rist ; : 5- 
tion. 

piston is for the purirsr :i :: hit: ling the 
bottom end of pa 5 s 1 r t I 

Tbie t*TiirTK?'S€' c: iissi^t md port O t? to allow 
the irtssjrt .r. ir.irr.zt: D to esci:t to the 
atJOkCiz r -- tr : t t: r r^ : s :" - fc^rced 

7 ft :jr::5- : : - t i^ss : rtss Lire valve (97) 

is to ~ i-r.:i.r. i ^.±7. z:±^yirt '.'. :"he' tr^tr^rrpe 



lie pur^:5-r :: :-r ^^'^:\ -:.:=:- :^. .r.t 
quadrant art 15 ::..: s: v\iieiiiz.t .. ir. ::.t s r. 
the r :rT~t : : 1:1 :oation mam reservoir 
pit--:- s ir : It:: :: :7.e trainpipe; the first 
nc : : zh is also in : 1 : 1 1 ': 7 1 5 mil pin on 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 263 

the side of the quadrant, is running position, 
and in this position main reservoir pressure is 
fed into the trainpipe through an indirect 
passage, or by way of the excess pressure valve; 
the next notch on the quadrant is known as 
positive lap position, and when the handle is in 
this position all ports in the brake valve are 
closed between the main reservoir and the train- 
pipe and between the trainpipe and the atmos- 
phere, and in this position the pressure from the 
trainpipe and pump governor is also shut off, and 
it is on account of this fact that a duplex pump 
governor is necessary with the New York Brake 
Valve. The next notch after positive lap is the 
first service graduating notch, and when the 
handle is in this position the brake valve will 
allow about five pounds of trainpipe pressure to 
exhaust when it will automatically lap itself; the 
second notch will allow about eight pounds of 
trainpipe pressure to exhaust when the valve will 
automatically lap itself; the next notch will cause 
an exhaust from the tra'npipe of eleven pounds; 
the fourth notch causes a sixteen pound reduc- 
tion, and the fifth notch is the twenty-three 
pound or full service position. 

When the handle is placed in any of the serv- 
ice graduating positions the brake valve will 



264 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

automatically lap itself, but when the handle is 
thrown to emergency position then the auto- 
matic lap feature does not operate. When the 
valve automatically laps itself the equalizing 
piston moves the cut-off valve so that it covers 
exhaust port F, but when the handle of thevaWe 
is moved to positive lap position the main slide- 
valve places port F over the cut-off valve. 

Should the handle be placed in the five-pound 
notch and while it was in this position trainpipe 
leakages should cause the trainpipe pressure to 
be reduced to sixty pounds or less (when working 
with a seventy pound standard) then when the 
handle was moved to the eight pound notch 
there would be no exhaust from the trainpipe, 
for the reason that the trainpipe leakages would 
cause the pressure in chamber D to push the 
equalizing piston forward and cause the cut-off 
valve to keep exhaust port F closed. This is a 
splendid feature of the New York Brake Valve. 

As the automatic lap feature is dependent 
upon the proper movement of the equalizing 
piston, you will at once see that should there be 
any leakages from chamber D or the supple- 
mentary reservoir it would prevent the equalizing 
piston from moving forward and causing the cut- 
off valve to close exhaust port F. There are 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 265 

several other things besides direct leakage from 
chamber D to the atmosphere which will prevent 
the automatic lapping of the valve, and they are 
as follows: 

A leak by the piston packing-leather of the 
equalizing piston will prevent the automatic lap. 

Should the ball check-valve fail to seat it will 
prevent the automatic lap. 

Should the face of the main slide-valve be 
scratched so that it did not seat properly on the 
cut-off valve it would prevent the automatic lap. 

Should the seat of the cut-off valve be 
scratched so that it did not seat properly it would 
prevent the automatic lap. 

Should the arm (112) connecting the cut-off 
valve to the equalizing piston become bent or dis- 
arranged it would prevent the automatic lap. 

These several defects and all others pertaining 
to the New York Brake Valve will be treated 
under the head of Defects and Diseases and 
Their Remedies. 

You will notice two cap screws in the cover of 
the brake valve; these are for the purpose of ad- 
mitting oil to the main slide-valve seat. 

To oil the slide-valve seat let off all main reser- 
voir pressure, cut out the trainpipe from the 
brake valve, exhaust all air pressure and remove 



266 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

the cap screws from rhe valve cover, then throw 
the handle to the full release position and drop 
in just a little good oil onto the valve seat; then 
throw the handle to emergenc^^ position and drop 
a little oil on that end of the valve seat, and work 
the handle backward and forward several times 
in order to distribute the oil. Be careful not to 
use too much oil as it will gum up the valve. 

While the air pressure is off unscrew the cap 
nut of the excess pressure valve and wipe that 
valve off with kerosene, and be sure that it is 
wiped dr>' before you put it back. 

In setting the regulating spring of the excess 
pressure valve, place the brake valve handle in 
running position, and let the pressure pump up 
until the red hand of the gauge shows twenty 
pounds before the black hand begins to move. 
Should the black hand begin to move before 
the red hand reaches twenty pounds it indicates 
that the graduating spring needs to be tightened 
down, while, on the other hand, if the black hand 
of the gauge did not begin to move until the red 
hand had passed the twenty- pound mark then 
the graduating spring should be loosened up. 

With the Xew York Brake \'alve handle in 
running position the excess pressure is accumu- 
lated ^^y^^the trainpipe pressure begins to show, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 267 

whereas with the Westinghouse brake valve it is 
just the opposite; for you do not get your excess 
pressure until after the trainpipe is fully charged. 
The old style A New York Brake \ alve differs 
from the present style B and B i, in that it does 
not have the vent-valve in the end of the equaliz- 
ing piston, neither does it have the ball check- 
valve nor port O in the valve seat, and as a 
consequence when you make a service applica- 
tion and go to full release position, and then 
move the handle direct from release to service 
graduating position the valve will not automat- 
ically lap for the reason that in order to get the 
automatic lap feature of either of the New York 
Brake Valves it is necessary to have the supple- 
mentary reservoir pressure equal to trainpipe 
pressure at the beginning of a service applica- 
tion, and with the old style A valve, which does 
not have the ball check-valve, the only way in 
which the supplementary reservoir can be 
charged up is by placing the handle in running 
position. 

THE NEW YORK PLAIN TRIPLE VALVE 

The New York Plain Triple Valve is so nearly 
like the Westinghouse plain triple that it re- 
quires no special description here, and the same 



268 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

instructions regarding the Westinghouse plain 
triple will apply equally to the New York plain 
triple. 

THE NEW YORK QUICK ACTION TRIPLE VALVE 

In studying the diagrams of the New York 
Quick Action Triple \^alve, Chart 2>^y you must 
remember that the real valve does not have the 
shape shown in Figs, i, 2, 3 and 4, but that por- 
tion of the triple which shows passage H, port J, 
vent valve 137 and check valve 139 are shown in 
Figs. 5 and 6. The object in drawing the dia- 
gram in the way in which it is shown is to make 
plain to you how these ports, passages and valves 
are related to the rest of the triple. ♦ 

The principal operative parts of the New York 
Quick Action Triple are the main triple piston 
(128), the exhaust slide valve (t,S), the graduating 
sliding valve (48), the vent piston (129), the rub- 
ber seated vent-valv^e (131), and spring (132), 
emergency piston (137), with rubber seated quick 
action valve (139), and spring (140), non-return 
brake cylinder check valve (117), and its spring 

(118). 

You will notice that the vent piston (129) has a 
port F which leads through the center of it into 
chamber G of the main triple piston. This 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



269 



allows trainpipe pressure to get in between the 
pistons, forming a cushion which does away with 




CHART 38 FIG. 1. NEW YORK QUICK ACTION TRIPLE VALVE, 

RELEASE POSITION. 

the graduating spring as used in the Westing- 
house criple. 

The passage of the air through the New York 



270 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

Quick Action Triple is as follows: referring to 
(Fig. I, Chart 38) trainpipe pressure passes 
through the strainer, fills the cavity back of the 
rubber seated vent-valve (131), thereby holding 
that valve to its seat, and also passes through a 
large opening into the main piston chamber 
causing the main piston to be forced to charging 
position, which allows the trainpipe pressure to 
pass through feed groove B into the slide-valve 
chamber and on into the auxiliary reservoir; at 
the same time this action is taking place train- 
pipe air is feeding through port F in the stem of 
the vent-piston (129), thereby charging chamber 
G, between the pistons. When the trainpipe, 
chamber G, and auxiliary reservoir are all 
charged equally to seventy pounds we are then 
ready to make an application of the brake. 

Now if you will notice Fig. 2, which shows the 
triple in the service application position, you will 
see that the main triple piston has moved back 
until it touches the vent piston (129), and that it 
has moved this vent piston back far enough so 
that port F is just closed; as the trainpipe 
pressure is reduced the pressure in chamber G 
is also reduced, but as it reduces slower than the 
trainpipe pressure it graduates the movement of 
the main triple piston, so that when the main 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



271 



piston has made its full stroke it has not 
disturbed the rubber seated vent-valve (131), but 
has moved the graduating slide valve (48) to a 



QT i37 




CHART 38 — FIG. 2. NEW YORK QUICK ACTION TRIPLE, SERVICE 
APPLICATION POSITION. 

position which opens the supply port from the 
auxiliary reservoir to the brake cylinder, and at 



272 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICTt 

the same time has moved the exhaust slide-valve 
(138) forward and closed the exhaust port from 
the brake cylinder to the atmosphere. When 




CHART 38 FIG. 3. NE"^ YORK QUICK ACTION TRIPLE YALVE, 

AUTOMATIC LAP POSITION. 

the main piston moves forward it gradually 
closes port F before all the pressure from 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



273 



chamber G has exhausted, consequently when 
the auxiliary pressure has reduced to a degree 



QT r37 




QT 119 



(HART 38— FIG. 4a. new YORK QUICK ACTION TRIPLE VALVE, 

EMERGENCY POSITION (SPECIAL VIEW FOR SHOWING 

EMERGENCY VALVE). 

slightly less than trainpipe pressure the air 
which is confined in chamber G expands and 



274 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



forces the main piston back just a little, which 
causes the graduating slide-valve to close the 
port from the auxiliary reserv^oir to the brake 
cylinder without disturbing the exhaust slide- 



QT55F 
QT49 
/QT 48 




QT23 
QT30 
QT31 
QT29 



CHAKT 3S FIG. 4. XEW TOSK QUICE: ACTION T8IPLE V.VI-VE, 



valve that controls the exhaust port from the 
brake cylinder to the atmosphere. The triple is 
now in lap position as shown by Fig. 3. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



275 



The emergency action of the triple (Fig. 4) is 
brought about as follows: The air cushion in 
chamber G cannot be reduced through port F as 
quickly as the trainpipe pressure is reduced, 




QT 141 
QT 140 
QT 138 
QT 139 



CHART 38 FIG. 6. NEW YORK QUICK ACTION TRIPLE VALVE. 

consequently when a sudden reduction is made 
on the trainpipe pressure it causes the auxiliary 
pressure to drive the main piston back so quickly 
that port F is closed before chamber G can 



276 MODERN AIR-BRAKE x^RACTICE 

empty itself, and with an air cushion between 
the two pistons you Vv"ill at once see that the 
stem of the vent-piston strikes the rubber seated 
vent valve and drives it from its seat, which 
allows trainpipe pressure to pass into passage H 
and thereby forces tiie emergency piston i';7J 
forward, which action not only opens port J to 
the atmosphere for the purpose of still further 
reducing the trainpipe pressure, but it also 
unseats the rubber seated emergency valve (139J 
which allows the auxiliar}- pressure .0 t^.ow from 
chamber K b}' the rubber seated valve into 
chamber L. and unseat the non-return check 
valve, thereby- causing the auxiliary reservoir 
pressure to quickl}' equalize w::l: :he brake 
cylinder. When the trainpipe pres-ure has 
reduced less than the auxiliary" reservoir pressure 
the emergency valve (139) is forced to its seat 
and the brake cylinder pressure equalizes with 
the pressure in chamber L causing the non- 
return check valve to go to its seat, and it is held 
there both by the brake cylinder pressure and 
the spring 1 1 iSi. 

THE NEW VORK COMBINED AUTOMATIC AND 
STRAIGHT AIR BRAKE \'AL\'E 

The Xew York Straight Air Brake \'alve 
performs the same functions as the Westing- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 277 

house, that is it appHes the engine and tender 
brakes independent of the triple valve when the 
triple is in release position. 

The New York straight air equipment consists 
of a straight air brake valve, a reducing valve, a 
double check-valve, a brake cylinder guage and 
a safety valve on the brake cylinder, the same 
as is used in the Westinghouse system, but the 
New York straight air valve is modeled after 
their automatic engineer's brake valve, for you 
will see by the diagram illustrating the straight 
air brake valve that the essential parts to this 
valve (aside from the case) is a slide-valve 
operated by a handle working over a quadrant. 
1 here are tAvo oil plugs for the purpose of oiling 
the slide-valve seat, the same as with the auto- 
matic brake valve. There are' two pipe connec- 
tions and one exhaust. One pipe connection 
admits main reservoir pressure into the brake 
valve and the other pipe connection allows the 
pressure to pass into the brake C34inder. 

There are four positions on the Nev.^ York 
straight air brake valve as follows: Release, 
Lap, Service, and Emergency. 

By looking at Fig. i, Chart 40, 3'ou will notice 
that the handle is in full release position, and 
brake cylinder pressure can pass under the slide- 



278 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

valve and out a; zr.t exhaust cavity. Should the 
handle be moved to lap position you will notice 
that the slide valve will close the passage leading 
to the brake cylinder, thereby preventing main 
reservoir pressure from getting into the cylinder 



V473. 




CnLi^T -kL,' TZ'l-. 1. ^-E^ 



i'JiiJx :^. 



- in 



esci:::r. 



pc5.::c 



p r eventing the cylin l±: : r -r s s v. r t : r : m 
_ :: :1 r i nosphere. Now s .cui :he 
"e be moved :: z'.zq next notch, or service 

r sliir-va^e "::'^ be moved further 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



279 



back, thereby creating a small opening to the 
brake cylinder and allowing the engine brakes 
to be set gradually, but should the handle be 
thrown to emergency position the slide-valve 
will be moved still further back, so that the 




26& E.V>264 



CHART 40 FIG. 2. NEW YORK STRAIGHT AIR PRESSURE 

REDUCING VALVE. 



passage to the brake cylinder is wide open, which 
permits a quick rush of air into the cylinders. 
Between the main reservoir and the straight air 



\- 



MODERX AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



brake valve there is a reducing valve. Fig. 2, 
Chart 40, for the purpose of keeping the main 
reser^^oir pressure down to a predetermined 
standard, which is usually fortj-nve pounds. 




nr^>. 



\ 



R.V-i 12 
R.V-I I I 




R.V-I C2 



R.V-I 07 



: I iT PIPE THREAD 



CHAP.T 40 FIG. 3- 



TOZS 5AFZTT 



z.. >"> _ _ ^ 



i.XD 



The straight air reducing valve, as shown in 
Chart 39, is connected at one end to the main 
reser\^oir and at the other end to the straight air 
brake valve, and as the regulating spring is 
supposed to be screvred down to forty-five 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



281 



pounds, you will readily see by Fig. 2, Chart 40, 
that the force of the graduating spring will drive 

T 




H.S.-I7 
\.x¥S [1— H-S..I4 A. B & O 
H.S.-I9 



CHART 40 — FIG. 4, 



STYLE A COMPENSATING VALVE, HIGH SPEED 
BRAKE. 



the diaphragm down so that it unseats the check- 
valve (26), therefore when no air is in the brake 



232 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



cylinder the main reservoir pressure can pass 
by the check-valve and flow through the pipe 



AUXILIARY 
RESERVOIR 



COMPENSATING 
VALVE 




/2 PIPE TO 
SIDE CAP OF TRIPLE 

PIPING DIAGRAM 

COMPENSATING VALVE. STYLE A. 
Diagram 114 
Djagram Showing Method of Piping Style A and A- 1 Compensating, 
Valve. 

CHART 40 FIG. 5. 

connection leading to the straight air brake 
valve, and when the pressure under the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 283 

diaphragm becomes a fraction greater than 
what the regulating spring (20) is set at, the 
diaphragm will be moved up, thereby allowing 
the check-valve to reseat and shut off the main 
reservoir pressure, but should the brake cylinder 
leathers leak, as soon as the leakage brings the 
pressure down below the tension of the graduat- 
ing spring the diaphragm will be forced down 
and again unseat the check-valve to admit main 
reservoir pressure. 

This action you will see enables the engineer 
to place the straight air brake valve in service 
position and work under his engine with perfect 
safety, because he knows that as long as the 
pump works the straight air brake valve will 
automatically supply main reservoir pressure to 
the brake cylinders, and keep the engine from 
moving. 

One of the greatest benefits that the straight 
air brake valve confers in road service is that it 
enables the engineer to set the engine brakes 
independently of the train brakes, so that in 
slowing down or in making a stop he can keep 
the train bunched, and thereby prevent a break- 
in-two. 

The safety valve (Fig. 3, Chart 40), on the 
brake cylinders is for the purpose of taking care 



2S4 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

ol 1 r. ' . -7 i .-'_ i r t ; r. : ". t r 1 1 _ 1 . 2 sf "^'^l"^^ for sTioxild 

tiie 



\_ ^J. ^„ \-±v " » tU-J. « >— 









---- 


-■ 


- - 


- - ' - • - ■ - 


■ T-^ijj^i-r-T-r^TT- 




t; : 


-- 


_ „ - 


- 


- - 


: : t^i^e 


- _ - ' - _ 




' - - 


- - 


:-^ " 


- — ; i 


■ - - ^ 


2:j' in 



that mi^ : tt r: r= cylinders tc 



cally bic 

The : 



';::.:.::.; ; : " . r : t t n . parts. 

t ;:re tliat leads to the 
T 1 : T T 1 It: valve, and 

; :. ' -_. : : ■;''/.- r. :/_.- !-i~t ;:.;:: :hereisa 
1:_'::.T :.;t .;>■!. '-r ".'.:/.. - :..- -:;.-7 :- j^edin 
rhe AVe-. :,__;: . -r ---:.//_ :^ .-:. ".":.; -ill 



nd of which 

purpose cf 

r : ris ^^hen 



- J 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



285 



double check-valve, and the line of pipe in dotted 
lines has a release cock on the end of it, the 
same as on the engine. These release cocks are 
placed one in the engine cab and the other in 
the gangway on the tender. The descendlno 



SR 3 




SR 9 




SR 6 




SR 8 




SR 7 




Pipe Thcf. 


Signa 


Pfp 




To Main Reservoir 



CHART 41 FIG. 1. NEJV YORK AIR SIGNAL PRESSURE REDUCING. 

VALVE. 

of long heavy grades makes it absolutely 
essential to have some means by which the 
engine and tender brake cylinder pressure can 
be reduced without having to release the train 



286 MODERN' AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

brakes, and we all know how important it is to 
release the engine and tender brakes when a 
hose bursts, providing we want to save the engine 
tires from being loosened or flattened. 



NEW YORK AIR SIGNAL EQUIPMENT 

The number of parts constituting the equip- 
ment of the New York Signal is the same as the 



V^ Signal 
PVps 




(a) 

CHART 41 FIG. 2 STTILE B XEW TOEK AIE SIGNAL VaLTE. 

Westinghouse, but the construction of the parts 
is somewhat different The essential parts area 
pressure reducing valve (Fig. i, Chart 41); and 
air signal valve (Fig. 2), the car discharge valve 
(Fig. 3) and the signal whistle (Fig. 4). 

The operation of the reducing valve is as fol- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



287 



lows: When the regulating spring (6) is screwed 
down to forty pounds it causes the diaphragm 
(8) to force the check-valve (5) from its seat, 
which allows the main reservoir pressure to flow 
by the check-valve into the diaphragm chamber 
and out at the pipe con- 
nection leading to the sig- 
nal pipe, and when the sig- 
nal pipe is charged up to a 
fraction over forty pounds 
it causes the diaphragm to 
be forced away from the 
check-valve, and thereby 
enables the check-valve to 
reseat and shut off main 
reservoir pressure. As soon 
as the signal pipe pressure 
is again reduced below the 
tension of the graduating 
springjthe diaphragm again 
unseats the check-valve 
and allows the main reser- 
voir pressure to again flow into the signal pipe. 
The air signal valve (Fig. 2) is connected to 
the signal pipe and to the signal whistle, and 
when the pressure from the signal pipe enters 
the signal valve it passes down through the port 




CHART 41 FIG. 3= CAR 

DISCHARGE VALVE. 



288 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



in the diaphragm stem into the lower air chamber, 
and equaHzes on both sides of the diaphragm, 
and at the same time passes up into the air valve 
chamber and equalizes on both sides of that 
valve. When a sudden reduction is made from 
the signal pipe the air on the top side of the dia- 
phragm is also reduced so that 
the pressure in the lower air 
chamber lifts the diaphragm 
and causes the upright pins 
which are fastened to the dia- 
phragm stem to force the air 
valve (8) from its seat, and 
thereby permit the air from 
the lower chamber to blow 
into the whistle. As soon as 
the signal pipe pressure has 
stopped exhausting, the dia- 
phragm is forced back to its seat which allows the 
air valve to again drop to its seat. The same 
instructions regarding the manner of operating 
the air signal that governs the Westinghouse 
system apply equally as well to the New York 
Air Signal. 




;..__ 



V4 PIPE 
TO ^G^AL VALVe 

CHART 41 — FIG. 4. 
SIGNAL "WHISTLE. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO SEC- 
TION 4 

THE PARTS OF THE NEW YORK AUTOMATIC, HIGH 
SPEED AND STRAIGHT AIR BRAKE EQUIP- 
MENT AND THEIR DUTIES 

Note. — As many of the answers given in Section 
I will apply equally to the New York Equip- 
ment the same as they do to the Westinghou^e, 
whenever such is the case I will indicate the an- 
swer by referring to the answer in Section i. 

62. When an engine is equipped with the New 
York Automatic Quick Action Brake what are 
the essential parts and what are their duties? 

Ans. See Question 2, Section 2. 

63. What additional apparatus is needed to 
change the quick action equipment into the high 
speed brake? 

Ans. A triplex pump governor and an auto- 
matic reducing valve for the engine and tender 
brake cylinders. The triplex governor with the 
New York equipment performs the same func- 
tions as the extra slide-valve feed-valve does with 
the Westinghouse brake; that is, it controls the 

pressure. 

289 



2go MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

64. What a:: 11 r . : : : 1 :z 1 
car with the Ne : : : : t ' r? 

Ans. See Q t r : r - S r : : : i 2, 

65. What £ T r 1:5 : -: 



66l When E 7 1 51 ^t: :i- 5 1:11-1 1 i 
high sp^ri 111*11 !£.: Ill :.:iil -_:i^ri:_5 -5 
needed? 

Ans. Tit : : ~ 1 Ti^-atory valTe connected to 
the brake cylinder, for the onruose of antomat- 
rcslfy rediMang the cyl::- ii: iiisnre as the 

N"ew Y : : 1. : r ike is sc ir. 1 ' " 11 1 : 1 . 1:' t : t i. : : : : :~ : 1. - 
We^ '^ -.xs^ HighSi Ti ? 1^ It ::r 

rhi riir : 1 t"^at it lioes 1. : : 1 im: ::ie cv,. 1.111 
1-15S r : ir^n to exni-s: is : : : "asitdc^? 
WiLQ nae \\ t-: '.z'. 3iise '-' 1 . " 1 . 1 1 compensa- 
toiy valve is fLiuy lilnstra: 1 1 1 1 ^ 4 of Chart 
40, and aside from the :=.:: :ii. : ritaids the 
brake cyhnder pressori : : r i : 1 ^ 1 : 1 1 ' : % the 
general operation of i: : 1 1 : 5 t ^ 11 1 1 1 as 
the Westinghonse Hi^ ^z-.z : z 1 ^ 1 t 
Where the Wesringhzsi 11 sis 1 s 11- 
valve 11 : : 1. : : : the ex is: : 1. 1 ' 1 : : r .: : : 1 - 
pens 1 1 ^ 11 ii-i::~s :i. s :.:i.::.:i 1:1 1 
piste 1 issiiir^ _: .11: _: 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 291 

67. What is a main distinguishing feature be- 
tween the New York and the Westinghouse 
pump? 

Ans. The New York pump is duplex — that is, 
it has a double set of cylinders, two air cylinders 
and two steam cylinders. The steam cylinders 
are on the lower instead of on the top end, as on 
the Westinghouse. 

68. Besides being a duplex pump, what other 
distinguishing feature is there to the New York 
pump, as compared with all the Westinghouse 
pumps excepting their new compound pump? 

Ans. All of the New York pumps are not 
only duplex, but are also compound compressors, 
for the reason that the air cylinders have differ- 
ent diameters (the low pressure cylinder being 
equal to twice the size of the high pressure cylin- 
der), and the air from the low pressure cylinder 
is passed into the high pressure cylinder and 
again compressed before entering the main reser- 
voir. Another distinguishing feature between 
the New York and Westinghouse pumps is that 
the valve gear of the steam end of the New 
York pump consists merely of a small reversing 
valve for each steam cylinder, whereas the 
Westinghouse pump not only has a reversing 
valve but also has a main steam valve gear, con- 



292 MODERN" AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

sisting" of three pistons in :he eight-inch pump 
and two pistons and a slide valve in the g^^-inch. 
ii-inch and new compound o-rr^. j. 

69. This being true, wh^: ; ^r:.:.:'^- ^ict should 
an engineer always keep in mind-r.-er. operating 
a Xew York pump? 

Ans. He 5h'^?uld be careful not to allow the 
lubricator to leed oil too rapidly into the steam 
end of the pump, for the reason that as there are 
only two small slide-valves to lubricate besides 
the main p'? : " 5. if too much oil were allowed to 
get in:: "iht reversing valve charr.':-: 't would 
have a '.ririicy to force :hr rt" trf.ig valves 
from their sea:? ir. i thereb}" . " -: "-:r r~::-rncy 
of the pump. 

70. Why is it said that with the Xew York 
pump one measure of steam will generate three 
measures of air? 

Ans. z ^ : r : t fact that the low pressure 

: ' ^ ^ IS a oiume capacity twice that of the 
- _ . . : : z r r ; r r : ;\ :". ier, and as the high pressure 
cylin: r - t : r res a charge of air direct from the 
a: / : : ' t:t tvery time it makes a stroke, and as 
::^t is::.: i:t5 not make a second stroke until 
:/^ t ^ : - : : T - r :- r r cylinder has discharged its air 
into the hi^ :. : rtssure cylinder, it means that on 
the return siny.e of the high pressure piston a 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



293 



volume of air equal to three times the volume 
of the high pressure cylinder is forced into the 
main reservoir. 

71. What is the principal difference in the con- 
struction of the No. I, No. 2, No. 6, and No. 5 
New York pump? ^ 

Ans. The general construction of all of these 
pumps is the same, except that the No. 6 and 
No. 5 pumps have two air inlets (one for each air 
cylinder) and two sets of receiving valves in the 
air cylinders. The lift of the air valve of the 
No. 5 pump is 3-16 of an inch, in order to accom- 
modate a laro^e volume of air, and all air valves 
are interchangeable. 

72. Why does one piston wait for the other 
before making its return stroke? 

Ans. Because the reversing valve under one 
piston controls the action of the opposite one. 

73. What is the difference between the revers- 
ing valve of the* New York and Westinghouse 
pumps? 

Ans. The operation of the valve is the same, 
as both have a reversing-valve rod with a button 
on one end and a shoulder on the other, and a 
reversing-valve plate to move the rod up or 
down, but the reversing valve in the Westing- 
house pump is made to control three ports, 



294 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

whereas the New York reversing valve is just a 
common D slide valve tor the purpose of con- 
trolling two ports. 

74. How is the air end of the New York pump 
oiled? 

Ans. By an automatic oil cup in the head of 
the air cylinders by which the flow of the oil can 
be regulated. Shown in Fig. 7, Chart ^^. 

75. Can you explain the operation of the steam 
end of the New York pump? 

Ans. When the pistons are at rest, and steam 
enters the pump from the boiler, it fills both of the 
slide-valve chambers with steam, and from the 
left-hand chamber live steam passes through port 
B to the under side of the right-hand piston and 
through port C, which leads from the right-hand 
chamber to the top side of the left-hand piston. 
When the right-hand piston is forced up it shifts 
the position of the right-hand reversing valve so 
that port C is connected to the exhaust port F, 
and port A is opened from the reversing valve 
chamber to the under side of the left-hand pis- 
ton, which causes that piston to be forced up. 
As the exhaust passage from the right-hand pis- 
ton is controlled by the left-hand slide-valve, the 
right-hand piston will remain up until the left- 
hand piston has made its stroke and pulled the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE, 295 

reversing valve up, which connects port B from 
the under-side of the right-hand piston with the 
exhaust passage F, and at the same time opens 
port D so that live steam can get on top of the 
right-hand piston and drives it down. When this 
piston has made its full down stroke it again 
changes the right-hand reversing valve so that 
port C exhausts the steam of the left-hand 
piston, and port A is again opened and admits 
steam from the right-hand slide-valve chamber 
to the under side of the left-hand piston, as shown 
in Fig. 3 of Chart 35. 

76. Can you explain the operation of the air 
end of the pump? 

Ans. With the No. i and No. 2 pumps the in- 
termediate valves and receiving valves are lo- 
cated between the air cylinders, consequently 
when the high pressure cylinder receives a charge 
of atmospheric pressure the lifting of the receiv- 
ing valve also lifts the intermediate valve until 
the pressure has been equalized inside and out 
of the air cylinders, whereas with the No. 6 and 
No. 5 pump each cylinder has its own separate 
set of receiving valves, so that the intermediate 
valves are not moved excepting when air is 
passed from the low pressure to the high pressure 
cylinder. The reason the air valves are lifted 



296 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

and again reseated in response to the action of 
the piston is explained in Question i6 of Sec- 
tion 2. 

']']. What is the stroke of the piston in the 
several New York pumps? 

Ans. The No. i and No. 2 is nine inches, the 
No. 6 is ten inches, the No. 5 is twelve inches. 

78. What are the diameters of the steam and 
air cylinders of the several pumps? 

Ans. The steam cylinders of the No. i pump 
are five inches, the No. 2 and No. 6 are 7 inches, 
and in the No. 5 pump they are 8 inches. The 
high pressure air cylinders in all pumps are the 
same in diameter as the steam cylinders. The 
low pressure air cylinder of the No. i pump is 
seven inches; the No. 2 is 10 inches, the No. 6 is 
eleven inches, and the No. 5 is twelve inches. 
The No. 6 pump is made to take the place of 
the No. 2. 

79. Why are the intermediate valves called by 
that name? 

Ans. Because these valves are intermediate 
between the low and high pressure air cylinders. 

80. W^hat difference is there in the way m 
which the pump governor is connected up with 
the New York equipment as compared with the 
Westinghouse? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 297 

Ans. As the New York Brake Valve has an 
excess pressure valve instead of a trainpipe 
governor, it follows that the pump governor must 
be connected to the trainpipe pressure, and as 
the action of the brake valve is such that com- 
munication from the trainpipe and pump gov- 
ernor is shut off when the handle is in any 
position except running and full release, It makes 
it necessary to use the Duplex governor with the 
New York Brake Valve, in order to prevent 
main reservoir pressure from getting too high. 

81. What Is the difference between an ordinary 
governor and a duplex governor? 

Ans. The duplex governor is one In which 
there are two air portions, so that the regulating 
spring on one portion can be set at one pressure 
and the other at a different pressure. 

82. With an ordinary automatic brake at what 
pressure Is the duplex governor set? 

Ans. The air portion of the governor which 
connects to the trainpipe is usually set at seventy 
pounds and the portion which is connected to 
the main reservoir Is set at ninety pounds, when 
these pressures are used as standards. 

83. What Is a triplex governor? 

Ans. A governor with one steam portion and 
three air portions. 



298 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

84. For what purpose is the triplex governor 
used? 

Ans. For the high pressure control or high 
speed brake. For with a triplex governor one 
trainpipe portion can be set at seventy pounds, 
the other trainpipe portion at ninety pounds and 
the main reservoir pressure at no pounds, or 
they can be set at whatever pressure is desired. 

85. What object is there in having two degrees 
of trainpipe pressure? 

Ans, By closing the cut-out cock on the gov- 
ernor pipe leading to the Ioav pressure air por- 
tion it will enable the engineer to change the 
automatic brake into either the high pressure 
control or high speed system. 

86. How many positions are there on the New 
York Engineer's Brake \'alve? 

Ans. Five, the same as on the Westinghouse, 
except that service graduating position is divided 
into five notches which represent trainpipe re- 
ductions of about 5, 8, II, 16 and i^^ pounds. 

87. How is the excess pressure gotten with the 
New York Brake \'alve? 

Ans. By placing the handle in running position 
the excess pressure is accumulated before any 
pressure enters the trainpipe. for when the handle 
is in this position main reservoir pressure must 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 299 

be greater than the tension of the regulating 
spring of the excess pressure valve before it can 
lift that valve from its seat. 

88. When the handle is in running position 
how does the air get from the main reservoir 
into the trainpipe? 

Ans. It enters the brake valve through passage 
B into chamber B and passes through port E of 
the seat of the slide-valve through cavity M in 
the slide-valve and through port A in the slide- 
valve seat into chamber A, which is the same as 
trainpipe, as shown in Fig. 3 of Chart 'yj. 

89. When the handle is in full release position 
how does the main reservoir pressure get into 
the trainpipe? 

Ans. It passes direct from chamber B by the 
end of the main slide-valve through port A into 
the trainpipe. 

90. In making a service application how does 
the air exhaust from the trainpipe? 

Ans. By way of ports F and G in the main 
slide-valve and out through exhaust passage C, 
as shown in Fig. 5, Chart y]. 

91. In making an emergency application ho,^ 
does the air exhaust from the trainpipe? 

Ans. By way of the large ports J and K and 
exhaust passage C, as shown in Fig. 7, Chart ^'], 



300 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



92. What causes the Xew York Brake \'alve 
to automatically lap itself? 

Ans. When the handle is placed in any one of 
the service graduating notches it causes the main 
slide-valve ro be moved so that per: F is un- 
covered and the top end of port O in the slide- 
valve seat is closed, consequently when trainpipe 
pressure is reduced slightly less than the pres- 
sure in the supplementary reser\'oir, that pressure 
forces the equalizing piston back, which causes 
the cut-off valve to gradually close port Fand stop 
the trainpipe pressure from further exhausting. 

93. How does air get into the supplementar\' 
resen^oir? 

Ans. In either running or release position the 
air that feeds into the trainpipe lifts the ball 
check-valve in the equalizing piston and allows 
trainpipe pressure to flow into Chamber D on 
through passage H into the supplementary- 
reservoir. 

94. For what purpose is the vent-valve in the 
end of the equalizing piston? 

Ans. When the handle of the brake valve is 
in either release or running position the top end 
of port O connects with cavity- P and exhaust 
cavity C, so that if the bottom end of passage O 
were not closed it would not only drain the sup- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 301 

plementary reservoir but would make a constant 
leak from the trainpipe. 

95. In making a service application with the 
New York Brake Valve what should the engineer 
do if the automatic lap feature should fail to 
operate? 

Ans. After he has exhausted the required 
amount of trainpipe pressure the handle should 
be placed on positive lap position. 

96. With the New York Brake Valve, would 
the length of the train have anything to do with 
the way in which a service application should be 
made? 

Ans. Yes, for with a train of four cars or less 
if j:he handle was not placed upon the first notch 
to start with, it is likely to cause an emergency 
application for the reason that the small train- 
pipe volume would rush out so rapidly as to 
cause a sudden reduction of trainpipe pressure, 
but with a train ^f five cars or more there is 
sufficient volume of trainpipe to overcome this 
difficulty. 

97. What defects would destroy the automatic 
lap feature of the New York Valve? 

Ans. There are several. Should the small 
cut-off valve become scratched, or should the 
connecting arm become bent so as to prevent 



302 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

the valve from seating, or should the packing of 
the piston leak so as to permit the pressures to 
equalize, or should there be any leak from the 
supplementary reserv'oir. any one of these would 
prevent the automatic lap. 

98. Is there any material difference in the 
method of regulating the Xew York pump 
governor from that of the Westinghouse? 

Ans. Xo, as both governors will shut off at a 
lower pressure by loosening the regulating nut, 
and will carry a higher pressure by screwing 
down on the regulating nut. 

99. What is the essential difference in the 
manner of producing quick action with the X'ew 
York triple as compared with the Westinghouse? 

Ans. In either case a sudden reduction is 
necessary, but the difference is that with the 
Westinghouse triple a portion of the trainpipe 
pressure enters the brake cylinder, whereas witji 
the New York quick action triple the trainpipe 
pressure is exhausted to the atmosphere when 
an emergency application is made. 

100. What is the object of the piston which 
works in conjunction with the main slide valve 
piston of the New York quick action triple? 

Ans. It takes the place of the graduating 
spring of the Westinghouse triple, for the reason 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 303 

that trainpipe pressure fills the space between 
these two pistons, and when a reduction is made 
on the trainpipe pressure the pressure between 
the two pistons is partially confined so that it 
acts as a cushion for the main slide valve piston; 
but should the trainpipe pressure be reduced 
suddenly these two pistons would be kept apart 
on account of the air not being able to get from 
between them quick enough, and consequently 
the stem of the smaller piston would strike 
against the emergency vent valve, marked "ji, 
which would permit trainpipe pressure to enter 
passage H and cause piston 137 to unseat check 
valves 139 and 117, and thereby produce an 
emergency application of the brake. 

loi. How does the New York Quick Action 
Triple Valve operate? 

Ans. When trainpipe pressure enters the triple 
at the strainer it fills the cavity back of the rub- 
ber seated vent valve and at the same time it 
passes through the feed groove into the auxiliary 
reservoir. It is fed through a port in the stem 
of the vent piston which allows air to charge up 
the chamber between the vent piston and the 
main triple piston, so that when trainpipe pres- 
sure is reduced, which causes the auxiliary pres- 
sure to force the main piston back, the air that 



304 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

is between the vent piston and the main piston 
does not entirely escape, and consequently when 
the trainpipe and auxiliary pressures equalize, 
the portion of air confined between the piston and 
the main piston expands and moves the main 
piston ahead, which closes the supply port be- 
tween the auxiliary and the brake cylinder 
thereby lapping the triple valve. 

102. What is the action of the triple in an 
emergency application? 

Ans. When a sudden reduction is made on the 
trainpipe pressure the main piston is moved so 
quickly back that the port in the vent piston is 
kept closed, and as a consequence the air be- 
tween the two pistons keeps them apart, which 
results in the stem of the vent piston striking 
against the vent valve, thereby unseating it and 
allowing trainpipe pressure to get into passage 
H, and drive the emergency piston against the 
rubber seated quick action valve, which action 
permits the auxiliary pressure to rush into cham- 
ber L and unseat the non-return brake cylinder 
check valve, thereby allowing the auxiliary and 
brake cylinder to quickly equalize. When the 
air in passage H forces the emergency piston 
forward it opens a small exhaust port which 
allows a further reduction in the trainpipe pres- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 305 

sure, and as the reduction is at once felt by the 
next triple, it causes all other triples in the train 
to act quickly. 

103. How is the brake released? 

Ans. The same as with the Westinghouse 
triple, that is when the trainpipe pressure is 
raised higher than that in the auxiliary, the main 
triple piston is forced back so that the exhaust 
cavity in the slide-valve connects the brake cylin- 
der with the atmosphere. 

104. As there are two packing rings in the 
New York Triple Valve, does this fact have a 
tendency to cause the triple to fail to release 
properly? 

Ans. No. But should the port in the vent pis- 
ton become clogged after the auxiliary is charged 
it is likely to produce an emergency application 
when. making a service application, for the reason 
that, If the air which is between the two pistons 
cannot be reduced about as fast as the trainpipe 
pressure, the stem of the vent piston will unseat 
the vent valve and cause an emergency appli- 
cation. 

105. What care should be given to the New 
York triple? 

Ans. Just the same as with the Westinghouse, 
or any other triple, for you cannot expect to 



' 3o6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

keep machinery in proper working order if it is 
not looked after. 

io6. What is the principal difference in the 
'construction of the New York Straight Air Brake 
Valve as compared with the Westinghouse? 

Ans. The New York Straight Air Brake Valve 
contains a slide valve, and has four positions, 
whereas the Westinghouse Straight Air Brake 
Valve contains two lift valves and has only three 
positions. The general pipe arrangement is the 
same and both systems require double check 
valves, safety valves, two extra exhaust valves, 
gauges, etc. 

107. How does the Straight Air Brake Valve 
operate? 

Ans. There is a pipe from the main reservoir, 
on which there is a reducing valve set at 45 
pounds, and the other end of this pipe is con- 
nected to the straight air brake valve, so that 
when the handle of the brake valve is moved so 
that the slide-valve uncovers the port leading 
into the brake cylinder, main reservoir pressure 
can then pass through the reducing valve, through 
the brake valve and into the brake cylinder until 
the cylinder pressure becomes slightly greater 
than the tension of the graduating spring in the 
reducing valve, when the flow of air is shut off 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 307 

from the main reservoir automatically. Should 
the handle of the brake valve be moved to serv- 
ice position for just a short time and then 
brought back to lap there would only be a partial 
application of the brakes, for the reason that the 
movement of the slide-valve would prevent air 
from getting into the cylinder regardless, of the 
action of the reducing valve. 

108. When an engine is equipped with the New 
York or Westinghouse Straight Air Brake Valve, 
and it the two additional exhaust valves should 
be omitted, could the brakes on the engine be 
released with the straight air brake valve when 
a hose bursts? Why? 

Ans. No. For with the ordinary straight air 
brake valve equipment the double-check valve 
would prevent the passage of brake cylinder pres- 
sure in one direction and the slide valve in the 
triple would prevent it from exhausting in the 
opposite direction, and it is therefore on account 
of this fact that the two additional exhaust 
valves are necessary with the old style straight 
air equipment. 

lOQ. For what purpose is the double-check- 
valve? 

Ans. It is to automatically close communica- 
tion between the brake cylinder and the straight; 



3o8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

air brake valve when auxiliary pressure is flow- 
ing into the brake cylinder, and also to shut off 
communication between the brake cylinder and 
the triple when the straight air brake valve is 
being used. 

no. Should an engine be equipped with the 
two additional exhaust valves besides the 
straight air valves, could they be used to release 
the engine brakes quick enough to prevent the 
shock of cars against the engine when the hose 
bursts? Why? 

Ans. No. For the reason that these additional 
exhaust valves are connected merely to the 
brake cylinders, and should the brake cylinders 
on the engine and tender be of the larger style 
used in modern practice, the auxiliar}^ reservoir 
pressure would continue to flow into the brake 
cylinders even though the brake cylinder exhaust 
valves were kept open, and thereby prevent the 
brakes from releasing quick enough to avoid the 
shock. 

III. What additional equipment would there- 
fore be needed in order to quickly release the 
brake cylinder pressure on engine and tender 
when a hose bursts in order to avoid the shock 
and minimize the possibility of buckling the 
train? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



309 



Ans. It would be necessary to have additional 
exhaust valves connected to the auxiliary reser- 
voirs on the engine and tender, that is in addi- 
tion to the straight air brake valve there should 
be four additional valves in order to insure a 
quick release of engine and tender brakes. 

112. With these additional valves could the 
straight air brake valve be used to retain the 
automatic application of the locomotive brakes 
without making a straight air application, that is 
without using the main reservoir pressure, while 
the train brakes are being released? 

Ans. No. For the reason that in order to 
retain the autorhatic application of the engine 
brakes with the old style straight air equipment 
it is necessary to control the triple exhaust ports 
on both the engine and the tender, which would 
require retaining valves in addition to the valves 
already mentioned. 

113. With the New York high speed brake is it 
necessary to have quick action triples on the 
tender? 

Ans. No. But they may be used if desired. 

114. Why is it that with the high speed brake 
a trainpipe pressure of no pounds can be used 
and still avoid sliding the wheels? 

Ans. For the reason that with the high speed 



3IO MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

brake all wheels on the engine, tender and cars 
are braked, and therefore the braking power is 
applied more uniformly than it used to be in 
former days. When the power is applied to all 
wheels alike the danger of sliding wheels is 
reduced to the lowest possible point, and on 
account of this fact some systems of air brakes 
are now using only one triple valve on the loco- 
motive and tender in order to secure this result. 

115. For what purpose is the compensating 
valve used in the high speed brake? 

Ans. It is a safety valve for the purpose of 
automatically exhausting the brake cylinder 
pressure when it gets higher than it should. 

116. At what pressure should the compensating 
valve exhaust? 

Ans. When the pressure in the brake cylinder 
becomes greater than 60 pounds the compensat- 
ing valve should operate to let off all pressure 
above that amount before the speed of the train 
is materially reduced, in other words, it would 
maintain the cylinder pressure at about 75 
pounds for a few seconds but would close the 
exhaust when the cylinder pressure had dropped 
to 60 pounds. 

117. Is there any material difference in the 
number of parts comprising the New York 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 311 

whistle signal equipment compared with the 
Westinghouse? 

Ans. No. Both systems require a whistle, a 
signal valve, a reducing valve, whistle signal pipe 
and car discharge valve, and in order to blow 
the whistle with either system it is simply neces- 
sary to exhaust the pressure from the signal pipe, 
-which action causes the signal valve to operate 
and allow the air to pass to the whistle. 

118. Is there any material difference between 
the New York retaining valves and those of the 
Westinghouse? 

Ans. None, so far as the operation and hand- 
ling is concerned. 



SECTION 5 
CHAPTER V 

THE DUKESMITH AIR BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM — ITS 
PARTS AND THEIR DUTIES 

As the tendency of modern railway practice is 
to heavy motive power and long trains, these 
conditions demand additional safe guards which 
have not heretofore been supplied by other Air 
Brake Companies, and in order to provide means 
to overcome the existing difficulties the Duke- 
smith xA-ir Brake Company of Pittsburg, Penna., 
are now manufacturing what is known as the 
Dukesmith Air Brake Control System. 

The Dukesmith Air Brake Control System 
consists of the following equipment: 

An Engineers Automatic Brake Valve, known 

as style A, which performs the functions of the 

ordinary brake valve, or in other words by its 

use the brakes on the entire train can be applied 

and kept applied; released and kept released and 

the train-pipe pressure maintained at a lower 

point than that of the main reservoir 

Style B of the Dukesmith Engineers Auto- 

312 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



313 



matic Brake Valve performs all of the functions 
of style A, but in addition thereto it applies the 
engine and tender brakes with straight air when 
an emergency application is made. . 

Style C of the Dukesmith Engineers Auto- 




1 MAIN EXHAUST'tefWa BRAKE CYL Cqn. 
aiRIPLEEX.CON. 1;;^^ 4 ST. AIR CON. 



PLATE 72 THE DUKESMITH STRAIGHT AIR CONTROL VALVE, WITH 

AUXILIARY RELEASE. 

matic Brake Valve performs all the functions of 
style A, but it also enables the engineer to apply 
and release the engine and tender brakes inde- 
pendently of the train brakes, and also enables 
him to hold the engine brake applied while the 



314 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



train brakes are being released, and also to 
release the engine and tender brakes when a 
hose bursts or when an emergency application 
has been made, which miinimizes the possibility 
of bucklinof the train. 



4%. 




1. FULL RELEASE 

2.N0RMAL 

3.CYL1N0ERRELEA^ 

4.LAP 

5. APPLICATION 






PLATE 73 DIAGRAM SHOWIXG POSITIOXS OX QUADRAUT AND PIPE 

COXXECnOXS OF DrKES]VnTH STRAIGHT AIR COXTROL VALVE. 

The Dukesmith Driver Brake Control \'alve 
style A. is used in connection with any automatic 
brake-valve and is for the purpose of combining 
in one valve an independent release and retain- 
ing valve for the locomotive. 

The Dukesmith Straight Air Driver Brake 
Control \'alve, style B. combines 'all the features 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



31S 



of Control Valve A and in addition thereto it 
enables the engineer to apply the locomotive 
brakes with straight air independent of the auto- 
matic system, or to release the engine and tender 
brakes independent of the triple valve, and with 




PLATE 74 VERTICAL SECTIONAL VIEW OF DUKESMITH STRAIGHT 

AIR CONTROL VALVE WITH HANDLE IN APPLICATION POSITION. 

this valve the entire brakes on the locomotive 
can be let off in from 10 to 12 seconds when a 
hose bursts, by reason of the fact that this valve 
is not only connected direct to the brake cylin- 



% 



316 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

ders on the engine and tender but is also con- 
nected to the auxiliary reservoirs on the loco- 
motive, which permits of the quickest possible 
release. 

The Automatic Release Signal is made in two 
styles; style A is for car service and style B is for 
engine service. Style A Release Signal carries a 
large metal signal in order that it may be seen 
at a distance, it automatically exhausts the 
cylinder pressure above a predetermined amount 
and in addition has an independent exhaust valve 
for the purpose of releasing a stuck brake 
independently of the triple valve. Style B 
Release Signal is contained in a circular casing, 
and automatically exhausts the brake cylinder 
pressure above a predetermined amount, and has 
a graduating device for the purpose of regulating 
the point at which the brake cylinder pressure 
should be automatically exhausted. Either style 
of release-signal indicates at all times the exact 
operation of the brake, as it tells whether the 
brake power is too great or too little; whether a 
brake is leaking off or releasing off; what the 
brake piston travel is or whether a brake is stuck 
or not. 

The Dukesmith Car Control Valve performs 
four functions, as follows: First it can be used to 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 317- 

apply the brakes on the entire train either in a 




service or emergency application; Second it can 
be used to release the brake on the car to which 



3i8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

it is attached independently of the triple valve^ 
and without having to stop the train to do so; 
Third it can be used to retain the brake on the 
car to which it is attached, and fourth it can be 
used to keep the brake cut out without hav^ing 
to stop the train to do so. There are four posi- 
tions in which the handle of the Car Control 
Valve may be placed, as follows: Normal, Lap, 
Release and Application. It occupies the same 
position in passenger coaches as the old style 
conductor's valve, and it may be operated to 
apply the brakes in emergency either by turning 
the handle itself or by pulling a rope attached to 
the handle and extending through the car. 
There is very little possibility of the car control 
valve getting out of order, as the working parts 
consist merely of a tapered key working in a 
casing and a handle attached to the key. 

The Dukesmith Emergency Cut-Out Cock is 
a device used for double-heading, and takes the 
place of the old style cut-out cock located in the 
trainpipe under the brake valve on the engine. 
The Emergency Cut-Out Cock when closed pre- 
vents the engineer on the second engine from 
accidently charging the trainpipe, which would 
release the brakes, and also prevents him from 
making a service application, but it does enable 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



310 




320 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

him to make an emergency application without 
having to cut in the cut-out cock. 

When an engine is single heading and the 
emergency cock is open it is no different from 
any other cut-out cock, as in this position the 
check valve is locked in an open position and 
cannot seat of its own accord. 



SECTION 6 
CHAPTER VI 

OPERATION, HANDLING AND MAINTENANCE OF THE 
DUKESMITH AIR BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO SECTION 5 

119. What is the construction of style B Duke- 
smith Engineer's Automatic Brake Valve? 

Ans. There is a case in which is contained a 
tapered key or plug, and through the top of the 
key there is an angular port, near the bottom of 
the key there is an annular groove and near the 
top of the key there is another small groove. 

120. For what purpose is the angular port near 
the top of the key? 

Ans. For controlling the passage of the air 
direct from the main reservoir to the trainpipe. 

121. For what purpose is the annular groove 
near the bottom of the key? 

Ans. It is for three purposes, as in running 
position it permits the passage of main reservoir 
pressure into the trainpipe governor, in service 

position it permits trainpipe pressure to exhaust 

321 



322 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

to the atmosphere through the trainpipe exhaust 
port, and in emergency position it permits train- 
pipe pressure to exhaust to the atmosphere 
through both the service and emergency exhaust 
ports. 

122. For what purpose is the small groove near 
the top of the key? 

Ans. For the purpose of admitting main reser- 
A'oir pressure direct into the brake cylinders on 
the locomotive when the handle of the valve is 
placed in emergency position. This feature is 
to provide against leaky cylinder leathers. 

123. What is the construction of style A Duke- 
smith Engineer's Automatic Brake Valve? 

Ans. The same as style B, excepting that it 
does not contain the small groove near the top 
of the key, as this valve performs the same func- 
tions of any of the old style brake valves. 

124. What is the construction of style C Duke- 
smith Engineer's Automatic Brake Valve? 

Ans. The same as style x-\ excepting that near 
the top of the key there is a small groove for 
the purpose of connecting the main trainpipe 
with the engine trainpipe when the valve is in 
running position, and a small vertical groove 
near the top of the key for the purpose of con- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



323 



necting the engine trainpipe with the atmos- 
phere when the handle of the valve is in emer- 
gency position. 

125. With style C brake valve are there any 
additional parts required aside from the ordinary 
trainpipe governor or feed valve? 

Ans. Yes, with style C brake valve there is a 
device known as the automatic exhaust valve, 
which is located in the supplementary trainpipe 
that connects the brake valve with the triple 
valve on the engine, and this exhaust valve is for 
the purpose of enabling the engineer to apply 
the engine brakes without applying the train 
brakes. As there is a continuous exhaust from 
the exhaust valve it follows that when the handle 
of the brake valve is placed in either lap or hold- 
ing position the supply of air is cut off from the 
supplementary trainpipe, and, as a consequence, 
the pressure in the supplementary trainpipe 
forces the piston in the exhaust valve up, and 
thereby opens a port in the exhaust valve which 
allows supplementary trainpipe pressure to equal- 
ize with the exhaust chamber of the exhaust 
valve, so that a reduction is thus made which 
causes the engine triple to move and apply the 
brakes on the engine and tender. When the 



324 -MODERN' AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

handle of the brake valve is again brought to 
running position it establishes communication 
between the main trainpipe and the supple- 
mentary^ trainpipe, which causes the piston in the 
exhaust valve to be moved down, and thereby 
exhausts the air from the exhaust chamber and 
at the same time allows the pressure from the 
main trainpipe to recharge the supplementary 
trainpipe and release the brakes on the engine. 

126. In how many positions can rhe handle 
of style C Brake A^alve be placed, and for what 
purpose." 

Ans. Full release, holding, running, lap, sen'ice, 
emergency and emergency-release. In full re- 
lease position the main reserv^oir pressure passes 
directly into the main trainpipe, but is cut off 
from entering the supplementary trainpipe, so 
that in this position the engine brakes are kept 
set while releasing the train brakes; in holding 
position main reserv^oir pressure passes through 
the bottom groove in the key to the trainpipe 
governor but does not enter the supplementary 
trainpipe, so that in this position the main train- 
pipe can be kept charged while the engine brakes 
are still applied; in running position main reser- 
voir pressure passes through the bottom groove 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 325 

through the trainpipe governor into the main 
trainpipe and from thence through the small 
groove in the top of the key into the supple- 
mentary trainpipe so that the pressure in both 
trainpipes is maintained at the same degree, 
and this is the only position in which the handle 
can be placed to release the brakes on the loco- 
motive, excepting emergency-release position. 
Lap position closes all ports in the brake valve, 
so that it naturally follows that in this position 
the supplementary trainpipe will automatically 
exhaust its pressure down to whatever the ex- 
haust valve is set at, which is usually from five 
to seven pounds, consequently if a service appli- 
cation of five or seven pounds is made without 
first placing the handle of the brake valve in lap 
position the result would be just the same as if 
any other brake valve were used; in service 
position the main trainpipe is in communication 
with the supplementary trainpipe by way of the 
small groove in the top of the key, and is in com- 
munication to the atmosphere through the serv- 
ice exhaust port by way of the bottom groove in 
the key; in emergency position the main train- 
pipe is in communication with the atmosphere 
through both the service and emergency exhaust 



326 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

ports by way of the bottom groove in the key, 
and the supplementary trainpipe is in communi- 
cation with the atmosphere by way of the .small 
vertical groove in the top of the key; emergency- 
release position is the last position on the valve, 
and in order to get the handle to that position it 
is necessary to press against the locking device 
in the handle in order to allow the bolt to pass 
over the raised part of the quadrant. This 
position is for the purpose of quickly releasing 
the engine brakes in case of a hose bursting (or 
after an emergency application has been made), 
for the reason that by releasing the engine 
brakes it reduces to a minimum the possibilit}^ 
of buckling the train when the surge of the cars 
rush against the engine. The reason that this 
position releases the brakes on the engine is due 
to the fact that in this position the bottom groove 
in the key places the auxiliary reservoir on the 
engine in direct communication to the atmos- 
phere through the emergency exhaust port which 
allows the auxiliary to be quickly emptied, so 
that the pressure in the brake cylinders can lift 
the slide valve of the engine triple and pass 
out to the atmosphere through the emergency 
exhaust. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 327 

127. What is there to get out of order with 
any of the Dukesmith Engineer s Brake Valves? 

Ans. Nothing excepting the natural wear and 
tear of a tapered key working in a tapered cas- 
ing, and if the key is kept properly lubricated 
there is nothing more to do except to see 
that the key is properly seated by keeping the 
tension spring just tight enough to ^hold it to its 
seat without causing it to bind. 

128. What particular construction of this valve 
is it that prevents it from binding the same as 
ordinary plug valves would bind? 

Ans. In the bottom of the valve casing there 
are two anti-friction metal disks, one at the top 
and one at the bottom of the tension spring, and 
these disks have a small tapered point so that 
the weight of the valve is carried by these points, 
which reduces the friction to almost nothing; 
another reason why the key of this valve cannot 
bind is because of the fact that the handle rests 
on a shoulder on the stem of the key, which pre- 
vents it from binding against the top of the case. 

129. Does the valve operate any different so 
far as friction is concerned when the pressure is 
pumped up or when it is not? 

Ans, Yes, when there is no pressure in the 



328 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

valve it works harder than when the pressure 
is pumped up, for the reason that when the pres- 
sure fills the ports of the valve it balances it 
perfectl^^and overcomes the tension of the spring, 
and it is for this reason that the tension spring 
should be regulated while the pressure is on. 
The spring should be regulated so that the valve 
will just seat, but should not be made any 
tighter. 

130. What is the construction of Driver Brake 
Control Valve style A? 

Ans. It is a disk or rotary valve having three 
ports, one of which is connected directly to the 
brake cylinders on the engine, one to the triple 
exhaust port of the engine triple and one to the 
atmosphere. 

131. How many positions are there on this 
valve? 

Ans. Three; full release, normal (or running), 
and lap (or retaining). 

132. What is the construction of the Duke- 
smith Straight Air Control Valve style B? 

Ans. The same as the Dukesmith Engineer's 
Automatic Brake \^alve style A. 

133. What then is the difference between the 
two valves? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 329 

Ans. The manner in which the pipe connec- 
tions are made. 

134. How many positions are there on the 
Straight Air Control Valve? 

Ans. Five; full release, normal (or running), 
cylinder release, lap and application position. 

135. What pipe connections has this valve dif- 
ferent from control valve style A? 

Ans. It has an auxiliary connection for straight 
air and also an exhaust connection from the en- 
gine auxiliary reservoir, besides the connection 
to the exhaust of the engine triple and the con- 
nection to the brake cylinders on the locomotive. 

136. What is the construction of the Duke- 
smith Car Control Valve? 

Ans. About the same as the Straight Air Driver 
Brake Control Valve, excepting that it is smaller 
and, in addition to the annular groove in the 
bottom of the key, there is also an angular port. 
The working parts consist of a tapered key 
working in a tapered case, operated by a handle, 
and there are four positions in which the handle 
maybe placed, normal (or running), lap, cylinder- 
release and application position. 

1370 For what purpose is the Car Control 
Valve? 



330 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

Ans. It takes the place of the old style con- 
ductor's valve used in passenger coaches, and is 
also a retaining valve and an independent release 
valve, and can be used to cut out a brake if it 
should become defective. 

138. When the handle is in normal position 
what ports are open? 

Ans. The port leading from the triple exhaust 
port to the atmosphere. 

139. When the handle is in lap position what 
ports are open? 

Ans. None, as in lap position all ports are 
closed. 

140. In cylinder-release position what ports 
are open? 

A. The port leading direct from the brake 
cylinder to the atmoshere. 

141. In application position what ports are 
open? 

Ans. The port leading direct from the train- 
pipe to the atmosphere. 

142. Should this valve leak, how would you 
overcome the leak? 

Ans. If it is properly lubricated I would simply 
tighten up the tension of the spring, but would 
not make it any tighter than just enough to seat 
the valve. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 331 

143. What amount of brake cylinder pressure 
is retained when the handle of the car control 
valve is placed in l::p position? 

Ans. That depends entirely on the weight of 
the lift valve in the retaining valve located on 
the pipe leading from the triple exhaust to the 
Car Control Valve, which may be either 15, 25, 
or 50 pounds according to the requirements of 
the service. 

144. What is the construction of the Automatic 
Release Signal? 

Ans. The Release Signal consists of a cylinder 
which moves up and down over a piston con- 
nected to a hollow piston rod, between the bot- 
tom of the cylinder and the under side of the 
piston there is a graduated spring, the tension 
of which can be regulated by a sleeve which 
enters the bottom of the cylinder, and the top of 
this sleeve has a flange which contacts with the 
stem of a small vent valve in the piston, and 
there are a number of small vent ports in the 
bottom of the cylinder so that when the brake 
cylinder pressure passes up through the hollow 
piston rod to the top of the piston it strikes on 
the under side of the top of the cylinder and 
forces the cylinder up in proportion to the pres- 
sure. Should the pressure be great enough it 



332 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

would lift the release signal cylinder until the 
flange on the sleeve strikes against the stem of 
the vent valve and would keep it unseated until 
the pressure had dropped slightly below the 
tension of the spring when the cylinder would 
be moved down by the spring and permit the 
vent valve to seat. The remaining pressure 
would continue to' hold the cylinder up until the 
pressure was exhausted either in the regular way 
or by the independent exhaust valve connected 
to the release signal when the cylinder would be 
forced to its normal position by the spring. 

Style C Engine Release Signal has the safety 
valve screwed in the top cap of the signal cylin- 
der, and is regulated the same as any standard 
safety valve. 

145. What is the construction and operation 
of the Dukesmith Emergency Cut-Out Cock? 

Ans. It consists of a casing having pipe con- 
nections at top and bottom, and having a rod 
extending horizontally through its center, one 
end of which is connected to a handle, and this 
rod also controls the exhaust of the pipe which 
is connected to the service exhaust port of the 
brake valve, and this same rod, which runs hori- 
zontally through the cut-out cock, controls a 
check-valve in the cut-out cock, for when the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 333 

handle is in normal position the check-valve is 
locked open by a projection on the rod. When 
the handle of the cut-out cock is closed the serv- 
ice exhaust port of the brake valve is closed, 
but the check-valve is free, so that when an 
emergency application is made with the brake 
valve the trainpipe pressure is free to exhaust, 
but should the brake valve handle be placed in 
either running or full release position the check- 
valve prevents main reservoir pressure from get- * 
ting into the trainpipe. 

146. As the method of piping the Dukesmith 
Straight Air Control Valve only requires one 
triple valve on the locomotive, what means are 
provided for quickly recharging the engine and 
tender auxiliary reservoir? 

Ans. There is a by-pass from the trainpipe to 
the auxiliary reservoir pipe in which there is a 
check-valve, and between the check-valve and 
the trainpipe there is a reducing stud or dia- 
phragm, which makes the aperture equal to an 
ordinary feed groove in a triple. 

147. Should the brake rigging on the tender 
become defective what should be done? 

Ans. The cut-out cock on the brake cylinder 
pipe between engine and tender should be 



Jj^^ 



MODERN A]R-aRAS£ FRACTICE 



ckised, and also tdbe cnt-oofi: coc^ cmi die anxiliaiy 
pipe leadii^ to tlie tender aiodliaiy. 

Iz|Sl In opeFatiift^ tlie Deike^raittli Straiglit Arr 
CofitiT^ V^'-e r I' ; ■ St sboold an en^""^r_T-rr 
ke^r i:: ::.:.:.; - t ri r^aird to im-' : f_ ji^ 






zoake €Kdy a li^lit 

afr CO ctLtcm vstrns 






g: 



Ans. Place th 
sition Iciz r' : ^ 

he desires. i.r. i 



I5CL - : - 
tfam t' -. r . 
tnJ Yahr^ 

Ans. Z ; 
Take c ' 1 
fasakes i : i 



l_"— j-V_/ i. \_ 



WLLaaiiL reieasiTL ^' . : z :: -: / . ar wllllqux 
anxiliaiy lesenr : : : : r i^ure wliat shoi 



•e to low^or "r"^ 



-1"- J" - ^ - - 



Its uh AND ABUSE 335 

normal position until the train has come to a 
full stop. 

151. Does it require any particular training in 
order to successfully handle the Straight Air 
Control Valve? 

Ans. It only requires such knowledge as every 
engineer ought to possess, backed by good judg- 
ment, the same as is required in handling any 
brake valve. 



SECTION 7 
CHAPTER VII 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF AIR-BRAKE HANDLING — RULES 
AND TABLES FOR COMPUTING BRAKE POWER- 
BRAKE LEVERAGE — EQUALIZATION OF 
PRESSURE, ETC. — SIZES OF CYLIN- 
DERS AND RESERVOIRS — TEST- 
ING AND INSPECTION OF 
AIR BRAKES — ETC. 

After an engineer has learned the name and 
duty of every part of the air-brake equipment, 
his knowledge is of but little use either to him- 
self or his employers unless he also learns the 
philosophy of air brake handling. 

What is meant by the philosophy of air-brake 
handling is a clear and definite understanding of 
the effects produced by different volumes and 
pressures when the varying conditions of the 
brake equipment, track, load, grade and speed 
are taken into account. 

One of the first things an engineer should 
learn is the value of maintaining correct stand- 

336 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 2>37 

ards of pressures in the different parts of the 
equipment. 

For example, the cars in a freight train are 
braked to only seventy per cent of their light 
weight, which means that with Westinghouse 
triples the leverage is arranged with the under- 
standing that 8-inch cylinders must contain a 
pressure of sixty pounds to the square inch in 
order to produce a brake power of seventy per 
cent. This means that an emergency applica- 
tion is required to be made, and the piston- 
travel not over eight inches, if the full seventy 
per cent is to be gotten. 

Therefore, if a train of fifty cars, with every- 
thing in first class condition, was running forty 
miles an hour and the brakes were thrown on 
with an emergency application, it would have to 
run about 675 feet, or an eighth of a mile, before 
coming to a stop. This is because the stopping 
power is only equal to sevent}^ per cent of the 
weight to be stopped. If these same fifty cars 
were all loaded to their capacity of 60,000 
pounds each, the per cent of brake power to the 
weignt to be stopped would be entirely changed, 
for with fifty cars of 30,000 pounds weight each, 
the total weight to be stopped would be 1,500,000 
pounds, and if the brakes were properly adjusted 



33^ MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

there would be an available stopping power of 
1,050,000 pounds, but Avhen the cars are loaded 
the weight to be stopped is 4,500,000 pounds, and 
with an emergency application you have only 
got a stopping power equal to twenty-three and 
a third per cent of the weight, and as it requires 
a greater force to check the momentum of a 
heavy weight than it does for a light one, the 
loaded cars will run a considerable distance 
further than the empty cars would before stop- 
ping. 

The reason the percentage of stopping dis- 
tance is not greater in proportion to the 
decreased brake power is because when once 
the momentum is checked the force of gravity 
causes the heavy weight to settle quicker than a 
light weight. It is on this account that a train 
running twenty miles an hour can be stopped in 
a much shorter distance than one running forty 
miles an hour. At twenty miles an hour a fifty- 
car train can be stopped in less than 200 feet. 

When making a service application the pres- 
sure in the brake cylinder is only fifty pounds to 
the square inch, and the brake power is thus 
reduced one-sixth, consequently there is only a 
fraction over fifty-eight per cent available stop- 
ping power on a light car, and only about nine- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 339 

teen per cent on a loaded one, but if the brake 
shoes are hung from the body of the car the pis- 
ton-travel will be increased from one to three 
inches when the car is loaded, as the shoes 
strike the wheels lower down when loaded than 
empty. This means that if such a car was brak- 
ing to seventy per cent light it would only be 
braking to a fraction over fourteen per cent 
loaded, and if the piston-travel was over eight 
inches when the car was empty the brake power 
would be still further reduced. 

If the piston was allowed to travel its full 
stroke, there would be no brake power exerted 
against the wheels, as all the force would be 
against the cylinder head. 

While these facts should be self-evident to all 
enginemen and trainmen, a great number of 
them, however, seem to think if the leaks in the 
trainpipe are stopped that the brakes are all 
right. 

It should never be lost sight of that whenever 
you change the piston-travel or load you also 
change the per cent of brake power. 

An example of the stopping distance required 
for a heavy car, as compared with a lighter one, 
was recently given when a Pullman car weighing 
about 100,000 pounds was "kicked" off while run- 



■nf fiTTt 



L U 



XJ.C 



S40 MODERN I -Z RAKE PEIACTICE 

nii^ thirty ir. r 5 ^r. : :: ir.i . 5::c;rd in 416 
feetywlifle a ci^:." "t.rr. .r.r 1: : _: :':.:':c pounds 
stopped in 202 iet: }ui.-: t .: kicked off at 
th irty miles an horin Ir. '::::. iist- :-e braking 
power "^5 - 't: zt: :t': -^ 

there v"i- i ~.~t:r';t c: icrzy icr c- 
weight : : : . t : i r s 

Trm -T f While d:-t:rr.: :::::?r:5 

requ're l.~ -:"::.'. ri. idling of ;ri -5 : trt irt, 
howevrr v : i.5:.r. :: rT'itsto tt rtziembered 
as regaras Lne a:~ rtrir ^r'r:^TT" srof^ii^ a 
freight train ir _ i :i 5 r^t: :-i r 

In stopping i : 1 r 5 r r ^ .- :: 1 r r r r r r : t - :;- 
live mi. -5 ^r. ..:_r :: :"'tr ;'. ; 
should be Tiit ir 1 rt tnai rt ti = r made just 
before : r :-i ' : rts :: a stop. \i -':.': 5::c '5 

cr::::-^. Str :- :ri.^ac Air r::^:roL> 

'r. ^-.-izz.:.^ i It ^' 1 r ; ze applualiamr 
ST.: --1 Ir "lit ir.i z.^z "z: rt.zi-- intil the train 
::r:.^- :: i sti'is:... :r y:i a.re very liable to 
zz'.i viz: ::z.z. r : : '^r 5 :r. Air Contrc^) 

Ar i : : : 1 : : r 5 : : -. : : me the first 

rri : :r r rriiT r: :rt it? irt released^ 

sr eral "rednctions'' :ir :t ~ ade during :rr 

1 : : - : a.ti€M[i. 

Why two 2^>p]ications shoold be made witli a 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 34i 

passenger train is, first, because the speed has to 
be reduced before the stop can be made, and, 
second, the train should be absolutely under 
control in approaching a station, as something 
or some one may be on the track, and if the 
engineer was making a 'one application stop" 
the auxiliaries and cylinders would have equal- 
ized some distance back of the actual stopping 
place, and the train would drift to the usual 
place in spite of anything the engineer could 
do. 

In making a two application stop the first 
reduction should be about ten pounds, followed 
in a few seconds by about five pounds, and again, 
in a few seconds, by five more, which will equal- 
ize the pressures. By this time the train is only 
running about fifteen or eighteen miles an hour, 
and you are nearly to the station, so you must 
now place the handle in full release just long 
enough to be sure that all brakes are off, and 
bring it to lap. This prevents the trainpipe 
pressure from becoming higher than that in the 
auxiliaries, and when you begin to make the 
actual stop a reduction of seven or eight pounds 
will cause the triples to move at once, and again 
set the brakes. When you feel that this reduc- 
tion has produced the desired effect, make 



342 iVIODERX AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

another of four or five pounds and let the train 
drift to the usual place, and release just before 
it stops, which allows :he trucks to right them- 
selves, and no one is jerked off his feet in the 
coaches. (,See Straight Air Control.) 
" By making two applications you get two shots 
out of each auxiliar\'. and, besides, after releas- 
ing the first time, you have a chance to' get the 
added twenty per cent of brake power by using 
the emergency, if you have to: whereas if you 
were making the stop with one application you 
could never get more than a full service applica- 
tion after a ten-pound reduction, even if you 
used the emergency, which, of course, you 
should always do in case of danger. 

IVith the high-speed brake a train can be 
stopped in about thirty per cent less distance 
than it can with a quick-action brake. For 
instance, a train running forty-five miles an 
hour can be stopped in 560 feet with the high- 
speed brake as against 710 feet with the quick- 
action brake. Consequently a train running 
sixty miles an hour can be stopped in 1,060 feet 
with the high-speed brake, making a net gain of 
300 feet over a stop made with the quick-action 
brake, which requires 1,360 feet within which to 
stop a train running sixty miles an hour. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 343 

Two applications should always be made with 
the high-speed brake in making a stop, but the 
initial reduction can be fifteen pounds instead of 
ten pounds, as would be proper when using the 
automatic brake. In making a ten or fifteen- 
pound reduction with the high-speed brake from 
iio-pound trainpipe pressure, the same cylinder 
pressure is produced as there would be if the 
same reduction were made with the automatic 
brake from seventy-pound trainpipe pressure, 
provided the piston-travel is the same. But, 
after the brake cylinder pressure has been raised 
with the high-speed brake to the point at which 
equalization would take place with the auto- 
matic brake, then any further reduction of the train- 
pipe pressure with the high-speed brake would 
raise the brake cylinder pressure accordingly. 
For example, an emergency application of the 
automatic brake with an 8-inch cylinder would 
produce a cylinder pressure of sixty pounds, but 
with the high-speed brake an emergency appli- 
cation will produce a brake cylinder pressure of 
about eighty-eight pounds. As this pressure is 
equivalent to a brake power of 130 per cent of 
the weight of the car, you will understand why 
it is necessary to have an automatic reducing 
valve to let the high pressure escape, as the 



344 MODERN' AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

train slows down, in order to prevent wheel 
sliding. See Automatic Release Signal.) 

If the auxiliary and trainpipe pressure (after 
making a reduction! equalizes at any point above 
sixty pounds, just as soon as the auxiliary- pres- 
sure gets a fraction lower than the trainpipe 
pressure the triple will automatically lap itself, 
so that while the brake cylinder, owing to the 
reducing valve, may only have sixty pounds in 
it there might still be seventy-hve pounds, or 
more, in the auxiliary reservoir and trainpipe. 
Therefore, with the high-speed brake equipment 
an engineer can make two full service reductions 
of twenty pounds and release his brakes and 
still have seventy pounds pressure left in the 
auxiliaries with which to stop, if necessary, 
without having to recharge. 

Owing to the high pressure contained in the 
auxiliary reservoir Vvdth the high-speed brake 
the air is forced into the brake cylinder more 
quickly than i: is with the automatic brake, and 
naturally takes hold quicker. But, as previously 
explained, there is no greater pressure per 
square inch in the brake cylinder fromi a ten or 
fifteen-pound reduction with the high-speed 
brake than there would be if made with the 
automatic brake. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 345 

Handling a freight train is very different from 
handling a passenger train, and when handhng 
a freight train the following points should 
always be kept in mind: 

Good driver and tender brakes on the heavy 
class of freight engines are equal to the brake 
power furnished by six or seven 30,000-pound 
cars. 

Always listen to the blow from the trainpipe 
exhaust when making a service application, as 
by the length of the blow you can tell the length 
of your trainpipe. This little item may save 
your life, as there are many ways for an angle- 
cock to become closed. 

Always insist on having your train brakes 
carefully tested, and their condition and num- 
ber reported to you before leaving a terminal, 
or where any change has been made in the 
train. 

Always lap your brake valve if the brakes 
apply suddenly without any apparent cause, as a 
hose may have bursted or a conductor's valve 
opened, and you will need all your main reser- 
voir pressure to release and recharge 

Always close the steam-throttle in case of a 
break-in-two, for with a partially equipped train 
the non-air cars will only hit the head end that 



34^ MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

much harder if you try to pull away, as the air 
brakes will stop you anyway. Should the engine, 
however, be equipped with either the Dukesmith 
Release and Retaining Valve or the Dukesmith 
Straight Air Control Valve, you can release the 
driver and tender brakes within ten seconds by 
using this valve, which will cause the shock of 
the cars against the engine to be greatly modi- 
fied, and prevent a further break-in-two. (See 
Dukesmith Driver Brake Control System.) 

Never reverse an engine after applying brakes 
if your engine brakes are any good, as it will 
flatten the tires if you reverse with the brakes set. 

In using sand, be sure to get it upon the rail 
before the speed of the train has been materially 
reduced, or it will slide the wheels, and if sand is 
used while the wheels are sliding it is certain to 
put bad spots on them. 

In making a service application you must be 
governed by circumstances, as regards speed, 
load and grade, but never make less than a five- . 
pound reduction to* start with, as less than that 
will not push the brake piston out past the leak- 
age groove. Ordinarily from five to seven 
pounds will be right, but you must always wait a 
few seconds between the first and second reduc- 
tions to allow the slack to run out. 

In handling loaded trains on heavy grades, it 
is always best to make about a ten-pound reduc- 
tion to start with. (See ''Train handling on 
heavy grades.") 

Never make over a twenty-five pound reduc- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 347 

tion in service applications, for with correct pis- 
ton-travel a twenty-pound reduction will equalize 
the pressures, and any further reduction is a 
waste of air. 

Always make a running test with a passenger 
train, and also with a freight train where track 
conditions will permit it. Some hobo may ti,.rn 
an angle-cock on you. 

In all cases of emergency throw the handle to 
emergency position and leave it there until the 
train comes to a standstill. But with a passen- 
ger train the brakes may be released while run- 
ning if the danger has been removed. 

Releasing the Brakes. Never try to release 
brakes in running position, with the old style 
automatic brake valves, for it is just this 
kind of foolishness that causes many flat 

and broken wheels. When the brake valve 
is in running position the trainpipe pressure 

raises comparatively slow, and if there should be 
any leaky triple piston packing rings the train- 
pipe and auxiliary pressures will equalize with- 
out moving the slidevalve, and consequently 
the brakes on all such cars will stick, and on 
poor rail the wheels on such cars may catch 
and slide while going slow, or if a brake sticks 
for any considerable time it will overheat the 



34^ MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

wheel and cause it to burst and wreck the 
train. 

The amount of money paid out annually by 
railroad companies on account of "brakes stick- 
ing" is something enormous. The money paid 
out on account of doubling hills from brakes 
sticking would make a nice fortune. 

To release brakes, always use full release posi- 
tion, no matter how long the train is. 

Never open the throttle just after releasing 
brakes on a freight train, but allow the slack to 
adjust itself first. If you don't, you are almost 
sure to pull out a draw head and part your 
train. 

To insure a prompt release, when coupling 
onto an empty or partially charged train, always 
make about a fifteen-pound reduction and thenre- 
leaseand lapthevalve until the trainman hasmade 
the coupling and opened both angle-cocks. 
Some engineers are always complaining about 
their tender brake sticking, when the proba- 
bility is they have allowed the auxiliary to 
charge up to seventy pounds, and when the 
trainman opens the angle-cock between the ten- 
der and train it naturally reduces the trainpipe 
pressure and sets the brake on the tender, and 
as the volume of space in the trainpipe prevents 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 340 

a quick raising of the pressure, and as a very 
slight leak by the triple piston packing ring will 
allow the pressures to equalize, it is easy to 
understand why the tender brake sticks. 

Failure to release brakes is commonly caused 
by not carrying sufficient excess pressure, for 
unless the trainpipe pressure is raised suddenly 
the slight leaks by the packing rings in the 
triples will cause the brakes to stick, for as the 
head triples are moved first, the feed grooves 
in the triples allow the trainpipe pressure to 
become lower every time a brake is released, so 
that on a long train the pressure would become 
so low as it neared the rear end that it would 
not be strong enough to force the triples to 
release position. Sometimes a brake can be 
released by making another heavy reduction, 
which changes the relation between the train- 
pipe and main reservoir pressures so that the 
excess thus created will give the triple a ham- 
mer blow and drive it to release position when 
the handle is thrown to full release. But, of 
course, if the brake is sticking on account of a 
leaky packing ring it would have to be bled off, 
either by the auxiliary bleed cock or the release- 
signal valve. 

In taking zvater, with a freight train, it is 



350 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

always best to s:op short of the water plug, cut 
off, and run up with the engine alone. 

In settiyig 02ct cars, always apply the brakes 
before the train is cut, because there can be no 
danger then of pulling out with an angle-cock 
closed against you. 

Train Handlm^ on Heavy Grades. Trains are 
frequentl}' stalled on hea\y grades because the 
engineer keeps throwing the handle of the brake 
valve to full release and then bringing it back to 
running position. By doin^ this he soon gets 
the trainpipe charged higher than what the feed 
valve is set for. and then, in running position, 
the brakes are sure to creep on. for the trainpipe 
pressure must be reduced before the feed valve 
will open to admit main reservoir pressure. 

A heavy initial reduction is proper with loaded 
trains on heavy grades, because a certain 
amount of the brake power is necessary to over- 
con^e the "drop"' or downward movement caused 
by gravity, which materially reduces the amount 
left for holding the train at a certain speed. 

As soon as the train passes a summit the 
brakes should be applied, in order to know for a 
certainty what they are capable of doing. By 
waiting until' the train is well under way before 
applying the brakes is ver\- liable to cause a 



? c r 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 35 

runaway, as the trainmen have a poor chance of 
stopping it by hand brakes, should the occasion 
arise. The man who is not afraid to call for 
hand brakes when he thinks there are not enough 
good air brakes to hold the train, is much safer 
for the railroad company than the fellow who is 
afraid to do so because the train crew will think 
**he has lost his nerve." 

In descending a grade, always try to keep the 
trainpipe pressure as near standard as possible, 
by recharging as often as may be required, for 
in case a stop has to be made you will need all 
the power you can get. (See Str. Air Control.) 

Always recharge in full release position. If 
the trainpipe pressure shows up on the gauge to 
be above standard, bring the handle to running 
position for a few seconds to allow it to equalize, 
and then place it on full release just for a second 
to kick off any forward brakes that may have 
set, owing to the auxiliaries on the forward cars 
charging up faster than the others. 

Comparatively slight trainpipe leaks are more 
dangerous on a heavy grade than leaks which 
are readily noticed, for after a light application, 
unless the gauge is watched very close, the 
slight leaks will cause the brakes to continue to 
set until the pressures are equalized, when it 



^5^ MODERN' AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

would be impossible to apply them any harder 
should a stop have to be made. 

Hostlers should remember that there are more 
than two positions (emergency and full release) 
on the brake valve. An emergency application 
is only intended to be used when the full brake 
power is required. A full service application is 
only necessar}^ when running at a high rate of 
speed, therefore when handling an engine 
through the yards, make light applications of 
about five pounds to start with, and gradually 
increase the reduction as occasion demands. If 
you are running slow, don't try to use a high 
speed application, as you are very liable to slide 
the wheels. Never use the emergency on the 
turn table. 

TESTING AND INSPECTION OF AIR BRAKES 

Xo train should ever leave a terminal until 
the brakes have been thoroughly tested and put 
in good order. 

In testing a train, begin at the rear end and 
close the angle-cock, and, if it is a freight train, 
couple the hose between the caboose and the 
first car, after knocking the hose-couplings 
together to jar out any dirt that may be lodged 
in them, then turn the angle-cocks straight with 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 353 

the pipe; next, see that the brake is cut in at the 
cross-over pipe; examine the retainer to see 
that the handle is turned down, and notice if the 
hand brake is released. Treat every car in the 
train alike, and when you reach the head end, 
before coupling the tender hose, always blow it 
out by opening the angle-cock. 

While the train is being charged up, which 
will take about fifteen minutes, if it is a thirty or 
forty-car train, go over the train and stop all the 
leaks. If a bad blow is found at a triple gasket 
which can't be stopped by tightening the nuts, 
cut the brake out, bleed it and report it on a 
defect card. If the blow is at the hose-coupling, 
and a new gasket does not stop it, drive a small 
sliver of wood, or a match, between the lugs, 
which will force the heads together. Never use 
paper or a nail. 

When the train is charged up and the brakes 
have been set, begin at the front end and exam- 
ine the piston-travel on each car. If a piston is 
found to travel nine inches, or over, mark the 
car so that you will know whether to take up or 
let out the travel, after the engineer has released 
the brakes. 

Should you come to a car where the brake is 
cut in and the auxiliary charged, but the piston 



354 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

is not out, have the engineer make a further 
reduction to ascertain if the brake "leaked off" 
or "released." If it releases you can hear it 
blow out of the retainer, and if it leaks off the 
air is escaping around the packing leather in the 
cylinder, which usually cannot be heard. In 
either case cut out the brake and report it cor- 
rectl}', for if you say it leaked off, the car 
repairer will go after the cylinder leather, and if 
you say it released, he would go after the triple. 

Upon reaching the rear end of the train, sig- 
nal the engineer to release, and then see if every 
car releases properly. 

If a brake has failed to release, examine the 
retainer, and if it is found with the handle turned 
down, and the brake rigging is not caught, cut 
the brake out, bleed it and report it. 

When you come again to an}' car which you 
had previously marked for changing the piston 
travel, take up or let out the slack by moving 
the truck dead lever forward or back, as the 
case may be, but be sure to take it up at both 
ends of the car alike. 

Having finished inspecting the train, report to 
the engineer the number and condition of the 
-brakes in w^orking order. 

When a train is equipped with the release sig- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 355 

nal you can tell by the action of the signal just 
what the brake is doing and if the piston travel 
is too great. 

BRAKE LEVERAGE 

The subject of brake leverage is a very inter- 
esting one, but as all foundation brakes are sup- 
posed to be carefully figured out by competent 
experts when the car is built, an absolute knowl- 
edge of leverage is not required of enginemen 
or trainmen. I shall, however, explain the 
different kinds of levers and the manner of 
.figuring them so that any one can, by a few sim- 
ple calculations, tell if a car or engine is getting 
its proper braking power, and also lay out the 
proper leverage when building new work. 

In order to tell the proper proportion of braKe 
levers, or to ascertain what force is being exerted 
at any of the pins, it is necessary to take into 
account two forces and two distances. 

The two forces represent the power applied at 
one pin and the weight lifted by the other pin, 
between which is the fulcrum; the two distances 
are figured from the fulcrum to the applied 
power and from the fulcrum to the weight. 

In every case the applied power multiplied by 
the distance it is from the fulcrum divided by 



356 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

the distance from the fulcrum to the weight, will 
tell 3'ou what the weight is that is being lifted 
by the applied power. 

The point that most bothers the new student 
is to tell where the fulcrum is, but this will come 
all right with a little practice. 

Remember that in figuring leverage you must 
take "proportion" into account. If the applied 
power is proportionatel}' one-third nearer the 
fulcrum than the weight is to the fulcrum, the 
power can only lift a weight equal to one-third 
of its force, and if the opposite is true then the 
power can lift a weight equal to three times its 
force. 

For example, if a lever is fort}^ inches long 
from the centers of the outside holes, and 
another hole is placed ten inches from either 
end, it would be called a one to three lever, for 
when you divide forty into two parts of ten and 
thirty, the result is that one portion is three 
times greater than the other, so that if you 
applied the power at either end and the weight 
at the other, then the fulcrum would be the ten- 
inch hole, and if the power of, say. loo pounds, was 
nearest the fulcrum, you would multipl}' loo by 
10, which would equal i,oo3, and when you divide 
i,ooo by 30 the result would be 33 /i, or one-third 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 357 

of the applied power. This would be called a 
lever of the first kind. 

Now suppose that the power was at the long 
end of the lever, and the weight at the other, 
then the fulcrum would be at the thirty-inch 
hole. So that loo multiplied by 30 would equal 
3,000, which divided by 10 would equal 300 or 
three times the applied power. This is also a 
lever of the first kind. 

Again, suppose the power was nearest the ten- 
inch hole, and the weight was at the ten-inch 
hole, then the fulcrum would be forty inches 
away from the applied power. In order to tell 
how much weight could now be lifted by the 100 
pounds, you would multiply it by 40, which 
would equal 4,000, divided by 30 would equal the 
weight, 133K pounds, for the reason that the 
fulcrum is three-thirds, or one whole number, 
away from the power, which gives 100 pounds 
lift, and the weight being one-third the distance 
from the power, gives a lift of one-third of the 
applied power, and the two combined equal one 
and one-third the force of the applied power. 
This is called a lever of the second kind, as the 
delivered force or weight is between the fulcrum 
and the applied power. 

The third kind of lever is designated by hav- 



358 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE . 

ing the applied force between the fulcrum and 
the delivered force, and is explained as follows: 
The applied power is now at the ten-inch hole, 
and the weight is at the end nearest the power, 
which would make the fulcrum at the opposite 
end, or thirty inches from the power. Multiply 
the loo by 30, and you have 3,000 pounds, which 
divided by 40 (the distance the weight is from 
the fulcrum), and you have a lifting force of 
seventy-five pounds; for the reason that the 
applied power is located three-fourths the dis- 
tance from the fulcrum to the weight. If you 
change the weight so that it would be at the 
thirty-inch hole the lifting force at the weight 
end would only be twenty-five pounds, because 
the applied power would then be located at a 
point equal to one-fourth the distance that the 
fulcrum is from the weight. 

Therefore, with a lever of the third kind the 
lifting force is always increased in proportion to 
the distance that the applied power is from the 
fulcrum as the fulcrum is from the total length 
of the lever; in other words, by moving the 
applied power toward the weight increases the 
lifting force and moving the applied power away 
from the weight toward the fulcrum decreases 
the lifting force, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 359 

Always remember that the applied power and 
the weight added together equal the strain at 
the fulcrum. 

Should you wish to design a cylinder lever and 
wanted to know where to place the middle, or 
fulcrum pin, you would proceed as follows: 
Multiply the weight to be moved by the total 
length of the lever, between the two centers of 
the outside holes, and divide it by the applied 
force and weight combined; the result would be 
the distance in inches from the cylinder pin hole 
to the fulcrum. To prove it, multiply the 
applied force by the length, and divide by the 
force and weight combined, which should equal 
the number of inches from the fulcrum to the 
weight pin hole. 

For example, suppose you had an eight-inch 
cylinder, with a quick-action triple, the applied 
power would be 3,000 pounds; now suppose you 
wanted a force of 1,500 pounds on the floating 
lever end of the cylinder lever, which is 33 
inches long, you would multiply 3,000 by 33, which 
equals 99,000, now diviJe this by the required 
force (1,500) and the applied power (3,000) com- 
bined (or 4,500), and you have as a result 22, 
which is the number of inches the hole should 
be from the weight end of the lever which would 



36o MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

make the fulcrum eleven inches from the cyHn- 
der end of rhe lever. Prove this by multiplying 

F 




W' 


,Fxa 


b 


F - 


Wx h 




a 


a = 


.Wx b 


F 


K - 


Fx a 



or a=HAl 



W 



or 5 = 



F+W 

F*l 



F+TT 



FULCRUM BETWEEN APPLIED AND DELIVERED FORCES. 




F = 
a = 



b 

Wx b 
a 

Wx b 



or a 



_ Wxd 
W-F 



6=2:210. or 5 = ^^ 
W T^ -F 

DELIVERED FORCE BETWEEN FLFLCRUM AND 

APPLIED FORCE. 




cr» Fxa 

b 

r. -Wx b 



a=S^bora=H^ 



F 

_ Fxa 
W 



Fxd 
F-W 



APPLIED FORCE BETWEEN FULCRUM AND 
DELIVERED FORCE, 
PLATE NO. 77. — BRAKE LEVERS, 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 361 

3,000 by II, and dividing by 22, and see if you 
don't get 1,500 as a result. 

Plate 11 illustrates the formula for calculating 
the different kinds of levers. The first kind is 
where the fulcrum is in the middle; the second 
has the weight in the middle, and the third has 
the applied power in the middle. 

The first formula translated into straight Eng- 
lish would read as follows: The weight (W) is 
equal to the applied power (F) multiplied by the 
distance (a) from the power to the fulcrum, 
divided by the distance (B) from the fulcrum to 
the weight. From this you can read the others. 

Plate 78 illustrates the two systems of brake 
levers used on passenger cars, and also the ten- 
der levers. The Hodge system is especially 
indicated as having a floating lever, which the 
Stevens system has not. 

Plate 79 shows a freight equipment of levers 
with the brake shoes attached below the bottom 
rod. The plate shows the result of an emer- 
fjency and a service application. 

RULES FOR CALCULATING BRAKE POWER 

The force exerted upon the piston depends 
upon the size of the cylinder and the air pres- 
sure in the cvlinder. 



;62 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



To get the number of pounds push a: the pis- 
ton, multiply the number of square inches on the 
piston by the number of pounds pressure per 
square inch on the cylinder. For example, an 




GAR BRAKC LCVEne. 



Fig. I. 



MzK 




SrcvE^^S SYSTEM 
GAP BAAX~e UCVCftS. 



Fig. 2. 




Fig. 3. 

pl-ite xo. 78. car axd tender truck brake levers. 



ITS USE \SD ABUSE 3^3 

eight-inch piston contains fifty square inches, 
which multiplied by fifty, the cylinder pressure, 
would give a push of 2,500 pounds at the end of 
the piston-rod. 

To find the number of square inches on a pis- 
ton, multiply the diameter by itself, and by the 
number thus obtained multiply .7854, and cut off 
the last four figures from the result, and the 
remainder will be the number of square inches. 
For example, 8 times 8 is 64, and .7854 multi- 
plied by 64 equals 50.2656, or 50 inches and 2,656 
ten thousandths of an inch, so you just cut off 
the ten-thousandths, unless they are equal to a 
half number or better, when you count them a 
half, as for instance a ten-inch cylinder would be 
counted as having 78^^2 square inches. 

A short method is to multiply the diameter oy 
itself, and the result by 11 and divide by 14. 

To find at what pressure the auxiliary would 
equalize with the cylinder, find the number of 
cubic inches contained in the auxiliary by mulri- 
pl^ang the number of square inches contained in 
its diameter by its length (minus the concavity 
in the heads), and then multiply the cubic inches 
by the pressure with fifteen pounds added, and 
divide by the combined cubic inch contents of 
the auxiliary and cylinder, and deduct the fifteen 



364 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 




o 

u 

O 

tn 

G 

Hi 
O 

a 

o 
o 
o 

o 

a 

b£ 

c 

P 

o 

a 

MD 
00 

CO 
Oj 

o 



*c3 



S.2 & 

D -t; 1) 

(U Oj ^ 

^ cu S 

O a ^ 

t+H .^ ^^ 



C/2 

a; 
-I-' 






V 



^ C/5 , 

'^ u 

C/) (1) 

■i-> 

in oj 

QJ CJ 

'C -TJ ,^ 

O CO ^ 
o3 



W 



> 



03 



o3 



o 



CJ 
03 



T3 •-' 



O ct3 



o3 



a; 

G 



4-1 

G 
u 



. o 

en Ui 

G '^^ 

4-j -a 

o3 o 






CU --J 



a; -^r 

a 



C/5 CX 

cr .2 -^-' 

-c: :2 ^ 
^ ^ a 

a-? 



G 03 
CJ +-> 

o 






03 

X3 
G 
o3 
-j-j 

> 
CJ 



G 
CJ 



G 
u 
u 
O 



G 
O 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 3^5 

pounds which you added, and the result will 
show the point of equalization. 

For example, a freight auxiliary contains 
about 1,620 cubic inches, and the standard pres- 
sure is 70 pounds; to this add 15, which makes 
85, now multiply 1,620 by 85 and you get 137,700. 
An eight-inch cylinder, with eight-inch piston 
travel, contains about 450 cubic inches. The 
cylinder and auxiliary together hold 2,070; now 
divide 137,700 by 2,070 and you get 66 j4, from 
which deduct 15, and the result is 51 >^, or the 
pounds pressure at which they equalize. 

The following table gives the force exerted 
upon the pistons of the different sized cylinders 
with pressures of fifty and sixty pounds per 
square inch: 

Size of cylinder, 6" 8" 10" 12" 14" 16" 
50 lbs. pressure, 1,000 2,500 4,000 5,650 7,700 10,059 
60 lbs. pressure, 1,700 3,000 4,700 6,700 9,200 12,050 

SIZES OF AUXILIARY RESERVOIRS WHICH SHOULD BE 

USED WITH DIFFERENT SIZED CYLINDERS, WITH 

THE CUBIC-INCH CAPACITY OF EACH, WITH 

EIGHT - INCH PISTON TRAVEL 

Eight-inch tender and truck cylinders, with 
10x24 auxiliary: Cubic inches of cylinder, 450. 
Cubic inches of auxiliary, 1,491. 



t66 MODERN AIR-BRAKE x^RACTICE 






Eight-inch driver brake cylinders, with lox 
auxiliary': Cubic inches in auxiliary, 2,050. 

Ten-inch cylinders of all kinds, with 12x33 
auxiliary: Cubic inches in cylinder, 628. Cubic 
inches in auxiliary-, 3,030. 

Twelve-inch cylinders of all kinds, with 14x3^; 
auxiliary': Cubic inches in cylinder. 904. Cubic 
inches in auxiliary, 4,120. 

Fourteen-inch cylinders of all kinds, with 
16x33 auxiliary-: Cubic inches in cylinder, 
1,232. Cubic inches in auxiliary, 5,450. 

Sixteen-inch cylinders of all kinds, with 16x42 
auxiliary: Cubic inches in cylinder, 1,600. Cubic 
inches in auxiliary, 7,163. 

CYLINDER PISTONS AND AUXILIARY DIAMETERS 

The following tables show the number of 
square inches on the different sized pistons, and 
inside diameter of auxiliarv- resevoirs: 
8-inch cylinder piston contains 50 square inches. 
10 7072 . 

12 113 

14 154 

16 '■ '• " '' 201 

lo-inch auxiliary contains 71 square inches. 

12 " ■' '■ i03>2 

14 143 

16 " " " i88>^ " 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 367 

PERCENTAGE OF BRAKING POWER REQUIRED 

The following table shows the percentage of 
braking power required for engines, tenders, 
passenger and freight cars: 

When plain triples are used the cylinder pres- 
sure is figured at fifty, but with quick-action 
triples it should be sixty pounds per square inch. 

Engines, 75 per cent of weight on drivers. 

Tenders, icxd per cent of light weight. 

Passenger cars, 90 per cent of light weight. 

Freight cars, 70 per cent of light weight. 

When six-wheel trucks are used on passenger 
cars and have only four pairs of wheels braked, 
the braking power should be figured as go per 
cent of eight-twelfths of the total weight. x\ 
chair car weighing 90,000 pounds with only four 
pairs of wheels braked should only have a brake 
power of 54,000 pounds. 

TO DESIGN LEVERS FOR A CAR 

When designing the levers for a car you must 
begin by taking the total weight, and where four 
pairs of wheels are to be braked on an eight- 
wheel passenger car, take ninety per cent of the 
weight and divide it by four, which will give you 
the amount of power required for each brake 
beam. To find what the pull should be at the 



368 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

top of the live lever, measure the height of the 
truck, in order to know how long the live lever 
must be. Having found the length of the lever, 
and knowing w^hat force there must be on the 
brake beam, you proceed as previously ex- 
plained under "Brake Leverage," remembering 
that your live lever is of the second kind, as 
shown in plate 34. 

THE OUTSIDE EQUALIZED DRIVER BRAKE 

Plate So illustrates the regular outside 
equalized driver brake, which is now almost uni- 
versally used on engines. 

In order that you may better understand it, I 
will run through the figures for you. There is a 
fourteen-inch cylinder on each side, with a force 
at the piston of 7,650 pounds. The weight on 
drivers is 81,600, and 75 per cent of this is 61,200, 
which divided by 6 means that each wheel must 
have a brake power of 10,200. The length of 
the long arm of the cylinder lever is 24 inches, 
and the short arm is 6. So that 7,650 multiplied 
by 24 equals 183,600, which divided by 6 leaves 
30,600 pounds at the bottom end of the short 
lever. This is carried to the first equalized 
lever, which is 4x8, or a one to two lever, and 
as the applied power is two-thirds the distance 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



369 




PLATE NO. SOOTHE OUTSIDE EQUALTZED DRIVER BRAKE 



S7^ !■: _ _ — JN 



firam ' r.- : _ r~ '^:^ mt : 

nt^i^JLi ■ - 7 r .:. : : -zd erf :_- 



pcwer at 



t1 FtTt 



tja -i.— ■ 



'ladL and the odier liv^oa n^ carried to. 

1 _ J t;l __"_ - . . . .1L T! Tl^TL- 



-5 zamr cic me cams diai: wk± : 

- ~all be in line wist z^± 
EC a bendn^ mflnence 
mon-fod. 

1^ camsi, in osder to sIl 

- ~i ilie pgsmn-tiai^ cx" tto secore 2 

of contact^ tdie dbeck nm: ^mald Ir 

1 ii&e screw tnnied ootwaid to sli : 

z^¥^ or inwaxd to lengtlien is. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 371 

To calculate the braking power, apply the 
brake and measure the piston-travel; then 
release the brake, insert pieces of one-quarter- 
inch steel wire crosswise between the tire and 
the shoe at the upper and lower ends, and again 
apply the brake; divide the difference of the 
piston-travel by the thickness of the steel, and 
multiply the result by the total force acting 
upon the piston. The result is the pressure of 
one shoe, which, multiplied by four, gives the 
total braking poAver. Divide this total by the 
total weight upon drivers to obtain the percent- 
age of braking power. 

EXAMPLE 

Weight on drivers, 53,330 pounds. 

Piston-travel, without inserting wires, three 
inches. 

Piston-travel, with one-quarter-inch wires in- 
serted, two inches. 

Total force on piston (eight-inch cylinder 
brake, fully applied), 2,500 pounds. 

I divided % equals 4. 4 multiplied by 2,500 
equals 10,000 pounds. 

10,000 pounds multiplied by 4 equals 40,000 
pounds — the total braking power. 

40,000 divided by 53,330 equals 75 per cent. 



372 MODERN a:a-L?;.^KE PRACTICE 

THE LOCOMOTIVE TRUCK BRAKE 

Plate 8 1 illustrates :he A rrican Equalized 
Locomo::ve Tr„A: Er=<t A, Automatic Slack 
Adjuster. Inasmuch as a considerable propor- 
tion of the weight of certain types of locomo- 
tives is carried upon A.t :rvA^. the importance 
of a well -designed brake u: r. ./a: ;:ar: c: :he 
equipmeni is se'f - eviden:, especially as the 
weight upon rh:s rnick frequently equals (and 
often exceeds i ihe vreight of a large capacity 
car. This brake should be maimained in a high 
state of efficiency, which is readily accomplished 
by the aid of the automatic slack adjuster. 

WTiat has been said with reference to the 
maintenance and care of the driver brake 
applies with equal force to tiae :rack brake. 

In concluding this Tolun:e :he author would 
:^ress : :a :he mind of the reader 



T'.P-^ 



-^l^. 



that he should carr^- liie book with him in his 
daily work, as :he ria^.e is already here when all 
railroad aaea are e :: ::ed to have a thorough 
knowledge of :ar air brake, and ir.'ess ou are 
already well posted you cannot expect to absorb 
the knowledge if your instruction book is left at 
home. 

You should always keep in mind the fact that 
the human brain is naturally inclined to throw 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



Zl?^ 




PLATE NO. 81 — ENGINE TRUCK BRAKE, 



J/ 



74 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



off everything that tends to trouble it in any 
way, and as your success as a railroad man will 
depend upon 3'our ability to acquire and retain 
knowledge, I would advise you to remember this 
little motto: 

By reviewing what you think you know, you 
learn to know what you know you know. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO 
SECTION 7 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF ATR-BRAKE HANDLING, BRAKE 
POWER LEVERAGE, ETC. 

152. What is meant by the philosophy of air- 
brake handling? 

Ans. — It is a clear and definite understanding 
of the effect produced by different volumes and 
pressures of air in relation to the varying condi- 
tions of track, load, grade and speed. 

153- What is one of the first things an engineer 
should learn in handling trains? 

Ans. — The value of maintaining correct stand- 
ards of pressure in the different parts of the air- 
brake equipment. 

154. What is the percentage of brake power 
allowed on freight cars, passenger coaches, 
engines and tenders? 

Ans. — A tender is braked to 100 per cent of its 
light weight; an engine at 75 per cent of weight 
on drivers; a freight car at 70 per cent of its 
light weight, and a passenger coach at 90 per 
cent of its light weight. When a coach has six- 
wheel trucks and only four wheels braked, the 

375 



376 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



Oi 



of A of : r : : :il weight - 

155- What is the correct piston -travel for loco- 
motives?^ 

Ans. — A^ : err ..re : »vo cjdinders on a locomo- 
tive both pisions snould travel :iie san:e =rd in 
order to determine what that travel sh: .: i :e a 

trave' se: ?: : ;.: :re ressjre equalizes vvica a 
full service :r e — ergency application at fifty 
pounds. The 5 r.^iier brake cylinders usually 
require abou: :: rer r :h piston-travel, and the 
larger cylinders four mches. ar i as the piston- 
travei " a locomotive is : :iplied by two, a 
three-inch travel would n^^eir. six inches and the 
four-inch travel eizht inches when both sides 
are counted. 

156. WTiat sh via ':e the piston-travel on 
cars? 

Ans. — The piston-travel s h : .: i : e e i c h : 
in : h e s r n n i ng along, and as the e : .: : ~ e n t 
while r an _ allows a farther piston-travel 
than can be obtained whi h r ::r - standing, 
the piston-travei siaould te set at about six 
intiaes Tiae raie is, never less haa a e. nor 
mor e : a s even while the car is s : a a a a ^ 

157. WTien a car is et ait tea vaha a slack 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 377 

adjuster how should the piston-travel be regu- 
lated? 

Ans. — When a car is equipped with new shoes 
the piston-travel should be set at from 6 to 6^ 
inches by taking up the slack at the dead levers. 
158. Is there anything that will cause the pis- 
ton-travel to be too short on a car equipped 
with the automatic slack adjuster? 

Ans. — Yes. If some of the slack has been 
taken up on the hand brake, or the position ol 
the dead levers has been changed. 

159- When a car is equipped with the slack 
adjuster, what may cause the piston-travel to 
become too long? 

Ans. — Some obstruction may get into pipe B, 
or the pipe may leak, or the slack adjuster cylin- 
der and packing leather may leak. If a car has 
been running with the hand brakes partly set it 
naturally takes up the slack, consequently when 
the brake is entirely released it will take the 
slack adjuster some time to readjust the piston- 
travel, as the cross head is only moved ^V of an 
inch at each operation of the adjuster. 
160. In applying new shoes to a car, what is 
necessary to be done in order to increase the 
shoe clearance? 

Ans. — Turn the ratchet nut to the left and 



37^ MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

after the shoes are appHed the piston-travel 
may be shortened by turning the adjuster nut to 
the right. 

i6i. What is the danger of operating trains 
with uneven piston-travel? 

Ans. — Uneven piston-travel causes some of 
the brakes to be released sooner than others, 
and consequently where there is not sufficient 
excess pressure carried to promptly release all 
brakes, it is very liable to either pull the train in 
two or slide the wheels, or cause the wheels to 
become heated from the pressure of the brake 
shoe so that the wheels are broken and the train 
wrecked. 
162. Is there any difference in the way in which 
a passenger or freight train should be stopped? 

Ans. — Yes. All the difference in the world. 
A passenger train should be stopped by making 
two applications and the brake valve thrown to 
release position just before the train comes to a 
dead stop in order to avoid the shock. Whereas, 
with a freight train but one application should be 
made, and the train allowed to come to a full 
stop before releasing, unless the engine is 
equipped with a Straight Air Control Valve. A 
further difference is, that in making a passenger 
stop where the train is running twenty-five miles 
an hour or over, the initial reduction should not 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 379 

be less than ten pounds, whereas, with a freight 
train the initial reduction should never be over 
seven pounds, excepting with a heavy train on 
descending grades, when a ten-pound applica- 
tion would be right and proper. 

t6,^. In coupling a locomotive on to a train, 
what should the engineer do? 

Ans. — He should make at least a ten-pound 
reduction and hold his valve on lap until the 
train is fully coupled up in order to prevent the 
tender brake from sticking. 

164. Why are the tender brakes liable to stick 
if the engineer fails to make a reduction when 
coupling on to a train? 

Ans. — For the reason that when more trainpipe 
is connected to the tender the air flowing into 
the added trainpipe will cause a reduction at the 
tender triple and set the brake, and as the triple 
piston packing ring on the tender, more than 
any other, is liable to be slightly gummed, it fol- 
lows that in charging up the train while the 
tender brakes are set with a high auxiliary pres- 
sure, the auxiliary and trainpipe pressure on the 
tender is liable to become equalized or nearly so, 
which prevents a sure release of the brake. 

165. In using the high-speed brake, why is it 
that the brakes take hold quicker with the same 



o 



80 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



amount of reduction than they do when using 
the automatic brake? 

Ans. — It is because the auxiliary is charged to 
no pounds instead of seventy, so that tlic air 
passes quicker into the brake cyHnder. 

166. Would you get a higher brake power with 
a ten or fifieen-pound reduction in using the 
high-speed brake than 3'ou would if using the 
automatic brake? 

Ans. — Xo. Because the same pressure per 
square inch would show in the brake cylinder 
with a ten or fifteen-pound reduction no matter 
which equipment was being used. But should a 
reduction be made with a high-speed brake of 
tvv'enty-two pounds or more, there would be a 
corresponding increase in the brake cylinder 
pressure. 

167. Why, is this? 

Ans. — With the automatic brake a reduction 
of tvrenty pounds will cause the auxiliary and 
brake cylinder pressures to equalize so that a 
further reduction would be simply a waste of 
air; whereas, with the high-speed brake the 
auxiliary and brake cylinder pressures do not 
equalize until a reduction of about twenty-six 
pounds has been made, but when the auxiliary 
and brake cylinder equalizes with the automatic 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 381 

brake equipment in service application, there is 
only a pressure of fifty pounds in the cylinder if 
the piston-travel is correct; whereas, with the 
high-speed brake equipment the auxiliary and 
brake cylinder will equalize with a service appli- 
cation at about sixty-eight pounds, and in an 
emergency application at about eighty-eight 
pounds where iio-pound trainpipe. pressure is 
used, with Westinghouse triples. 

168. In making a two-application stop with a 
passenger train, how should the brakes be 
released after the first application and why? 

Ans. — In making a two-application stop the 
initial reduction should be from ten to twelve 
pounds according to the speed of the train, and 
as soon as the momentum of the train has been 
checked, one or two more reductions should be 
made until the auxiliary and brake cylinder 
pressures have equalized, when the brake valve 
handle should then be thrown to full release 
position just long enough to insure that all 
brakes are released, when the handle should be 
brought to lap position, until it is time to make 
the second application. The reason for this is 
because the auxiliaries cannot be recharged 
between the first and second application, and by 
holding the valve on lap it allows the trainpipe 



^82 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



o 



and auxiliarj^ pressures to equalize so that on 
the first reduction, when the second application 
is begun, the triples will move promprh* and 
pass the air from the auxiliary into the brake 
cylinder. 

169. In handling a freight train, why should the 
engineer alwa^^s listen to the trainpipe exhaust 
in making a ser\'ice application?. 

Ans. — Because by the length of the blow at 
the trainpipe exhaust he can tell whether he has 
a long or short trainpipe. 

170. In case of a break-in-two, what should the 
engineer always do? 

Ans. — Promptl}' close the throttle and lap the 
brake valve, in order to stop as quickl}^ as pos- 
sible so that the rear end of the train w^ill not 
hit the forward end so hard when the^^ come 
together. By using the Dukesmith Driver Brake 
Control \"alve this shock is avoided. 

J 71- How should sand be used on a rail? 

Ans. — Sand should alwa3's be used before the 
speed of the train has been materially reduced, 
as otherv^'ise it is almost sure to spot the 
wheels. 

172. Wh\' should the throttle never be opened 
immediately after releasing the brakes on a 
freight train? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE :^S3 

Ans. — Because the slack must be allowed to 
adiust itself first in order to prevent pulling the 
train in two. 
173' What is a common cause for stalling trains 
on heavy grades? 

Ans. — The continual throwing of the brake 
valve handle to full release and back to running 
position. By doing this the engineer gets the 
trainpipe charged higher than what the feed 
valve is set for and when the trainpipe pressure 
has been raised above seventy pounds, if the 
handle is placed in running position, no air can 
pass through the feed valve attachment until 
the trainpipe leaks have reduced the pressure 
below what the feed valve is set at, and as a 
consequence the brakes get to dragging and 
thereby stall the train. 

174. What is the danger of bleeding off a stuck 
brake and allowing it to run without cutting it 
out? 

Ans. — A brake that is inclined to stick and has 
i:o be bled off is almost sure to stick again at a 
time when the trainmen cannot get to it to bleed 
it unless there is a release signal on the car, and 
as a consequence the wheels are liable to 
become heated and either slide them or break 
them and ditch the train. 



384 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

175. \A^hat number of cars in a train should be 
air braked ? 

Ans. — All of them, if possible, but a recent law 
passed by the National Congress requires that 
fifty per cent of all cars in a train shall be 
equipped with air brakes in good condition, and 
another new ruling requires seventy-five percent 
of all cars in a train to be air braked by August, 
1907= 



AmB li 



«« I > K:,>. 



fi 



y noi 



^■^i^;^f; 



fiKLiniMAny Hcscmom. 



PLATE 43 

Axle Driven Compressor Straight Air Brake 
Equipment for Electric Traction Cars 




\,- n 



>^M^i'^ 



^ Ml 
<: nl 

^ n 


• 

- 


' 


,V 




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SECTION 8 
CHAPTER VIII 

THE STRAIGHT AIR BRAKE AS USED ON ELECTRIC 
TRACTION CARS* 

Motormen and conductors of electric cars 
should possess something more than a mere 
knowledge of how to apply and release brakes. 
They should understand the mechanical prin- 
ciples represented in the brake, and should know 
how to detect, remedy and report any and all 
kinds of defects which may arise in the straight 
air-brake equipment. 

The changed conditions of the past few years 
have materially raised the personnel of electric 
railway employes. There was a time when 
almost any kind of a man could find employment 
on street railways, but to-day a man must pos- 
sess a certain amount of ability before even his 
application will be considered. These changed 
conditions are mainly due to the advent of inter- 
urban railway traffic. 

The cars operated in interurban service are 
not only very heavy, but th^ speed at which 

* A special index for this chapter has been prepared and 
immediately follows the index of the Automatic Equipment. 

38s 



386 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

they travel is in many cases faster than ordinar^^ 
steam railroad cars. ]\Iany steam railroads feel 
that they are doing very well if their freight 
schedules average twenty-five miles an hour, 
whereas nearly all interurban electric railways 
, make an average schedule of at least thirty miles 
an hour. Such being the case, it is highly im- 
portant that motormen and conductors master 
as fully as possible all detailed knowledge of the 
operation and maintenance of the brake appa- 
ratus. 

The question of brake power on electric rail- 
wa^^s is quite a different proposition from that of 
steam railways, for the reason that with steam 
railroads there is but one kind of power brake 
in general use, w^hich is the automatic air brake, 
whereas with the electric railway's there are 
many kinds of power brakes in use. For 
instance, there is what is known as the hydraulic 
brake; and the magnetic brake; and of air brakes 
there are two systems in use, one is known as 
the automatic and the other the straight air 
brake. 

Each kind of brake, of course, has its special 
advantages, but when all things are taken into 
account there is no brake so good and reliable 
for electric railways as an air brake, and as the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 387 

majority of electric roads operate their cars 
singly, it naturally follows that the straight air 
brake is the best all-around brake that can be 
used. 

While there are different systems of straight 
air brakes in use, some of which use what is 
known as the motor compressor, there is, how- 
ever, a system now being universally installed, 
which is undoubtedly destined to supersede all 
others and is known as the Standard Traction 
Brake Company s Axle Compressor System, manu- 
factured by the Westinghouse Air-Brake Com- 
pany. 

As the Westinghouse Air-Brake Company 
were the first to invent and operate the straight 
air brake, it naturally follows that they are in 
better position to bring the brake to a state of 
perfection than almost any one else, as in their 
immense plants in Wilmerding, Pa., they have 
every means at their command for doing so. 

A student of straight air brakes as used on 
electric railways, should carefully read Section 
III of this book, as it will give him a general 
idea of brake handling and enable him to more 
readily grasp the points in which he is directly 
interested. 

In order to understand the action of the 



388 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

straight air brake, it is necessary to begin by 
studying the brake levers and cylinder under 
the body of the car. 

By referring to Plate 82 you will see how the 
cylinder and levers are connected up. This 
diagram shows you how either the hand-brake 
staff or the air cylinder may be used to apply 
the brake. Where the hand-brake staff is used 
the levers are pulled forward, whereas when the 
brake is set by air the levers %re pushed forward 
by the piston in the brake cylinder. 

As the purpose of this book is to treat of com- 
pressed air only, I will describe the geared 
axle-driven compressor instead of the motor 
compressor, for the reason that with the axle- 
driven compressor no electricity is required to 
operate the compressor, or control the governor. 

The parts necessary to complete the straight 
air-brake equipment on electric traction cars is 
as follows: 

An air compressor, which is geared to and 
driven by the car axle, for the purpose of com- 
pressing the air used in the brake equipment. 

An automatic regulator or governor, for the 
purpose of controlling the working of the com- 
pressor and regulating the amount of air to be 
compressed. 



390 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

A reservoir, in which the air compressed by 
the pump is stored ready for the instantaneous 
application of the brakes. 

A brake cyHnder, into which the compressed 
air is allowed to flow whenever it is desired to 
apply the brakes, connected to which is a system 
of levers, rods and brake shoes, as shown on 
Plate 82. 

An operating valve mounted at each end of 
the car for the purpose of controlling the flow of 
the compressed air into or out of the brake 
cylinder, as desired. 

The system of piping with various cut-out 
cocks, etc., connects the above-mentioned parts 
together. 

THE GEARED AXLE-DRIVEN COMPRESSOR 

As the first thing necessary to a power brake 
is the generating of power, we will begin by con- 
sidering the air com.pressor. 

Plate 83 is what is known as a "ghost" cut, the 
white lines representing the parts through which 
you are looking, in order to get an internal view 
of the compressor The compressor is double 
acting, and has horizontal axis of cylinder at 
right angles to the car axle; in other words, the 
car axle operates through the bearing, which, in 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 



.^OT 



cut 40, is shown to be empty. There are two 
discharge valves on the compressor and they are 
located on top of the cylinder, one at either end, 
and the discharge port is located midway 
between the discharge valves, as shown in Plate 
83. Now, if you will look lower down, you will 
notice that by the side of the cylinder there are 
two other valves, one of which is shown in 
"ghost" outline; these two valves are known as 
suction valves, or, as we say in the automatic 
equipment, receiving valves. Leading from 




PLATE NO. 83— AXLE-DRIVEN AIR COMPRESSOR 

each of these valves are cylindrical chambers 
connected to each other by a passage that 
arches over the crank-shaft end-bearing, and 



392 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

between the two receiving valves is the receiving 
port, through which the atmospheric air is taken 
into the compressor. 

These four valves, together with their renew- 
able seats, are interchangeable, and have no 
springs to wear out, or gum up. 

The cylindrical chambers beneath the receiv- 
ing valves are connected by means of a fitting, 
either end of which is piped to the automatic 
regulator, or governor. 

The compressor piston Is made of a single 
casting in the form of two disks connected at 
the top and bottom. Each disk is provided with 
a spring packing ring, and carries on its inner 
side a rectangular surface parallel to the ends 
of the piston, thus combining a piston and slotted 
cross-head in one piece. The axis of the crank 
shaft, which runs parallel with the axle of the 
car, intersects the axis of the cylinder at its mid- 
dle point; thus the crank shaft passes between 
the disks of the piston and imparts to them a 
reciprocating motion by means of the crank- 
brass slide between the parallel faces on the 
interior of the piston disks. 

As the compressor operates very rapidly at 
times, it is necessary that all of these parts run 
in a bath of oil. On the other side of the cylin- 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 393 

der there is a flange by which it is bolted to^the 
oil-tight housing that encloses the gear on the 
crank shaft, as well as the driving gear secured 
to the axle of the car. This housing is provided 
with bearings on the axle, which serve to keep 
the two gears meshed together; one end of the 
compressor is supported by these bearings and 
the other end is supported by brackets mounted 
upon it and the truc'k frame, respectively, with a 
rubber cushion between them to deaden the 
vibration. This type of compressor is especially 
adapted for mounting on the same axle with the 
car motor, as the axle gear and its bearings take 
up only a small space on the axle, and the bal- 
ance of the housing and the pumxp cylinder 
occupy the space back of the motor. There are 
no stuffing boxes whatever in the entire equip- 
ment, and all parts that need lubrication are 
provided with oil wells and grease pockets. 
The manufacturers of the geared axle-driven 
compressor make seven different styles, in order 
to meet the varying conditions of the different 
kinds of service. But in all cases the diameter 
of the axle and pump gear is so proportioned 
that the piston speed never exceeds the safety 
limit. All of the compressors are made with a 
capacity double that required for a motor car 



394 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

with one trailer, running under the most severe 
conditions of service for which it is designed, so 
that a large proportion of the time the compres- 
sor is running with the pump automatically cut 
out of operation. 

The automatic regulator or governor consists 
of a chamber which is always in direct communi- 
cation with the reservoir, one wall of which is 
formed either by a diaphragm or piston, on one 
side of which is the reservoir pressure and on 
the other atmospheric pressure and a graduated 
spring. As the pressure in the reservor increases, 
the piston or diaphragm moves outwardly, which 
causes a D slide valve in the regulator chamber 
to move outwardly and uncover a port in the 
slide-valve seat, which admits compressed air to 
closed chambers, and when the pressure is 
changed the slide valve moves inwardly and 
connects this port to one leading to the atmos- 
phere. The closed chambers just referred to 
are located in the body of the pump cylinder, 
directly beneath the receiving valves, and are 
connected by hose to the regulator. Each of 
the two chambers is provided with an air-tight 
piston, so that when the reservoir pressure 
reaches the desired amount the compressed air 
is admitted beneath them, thereby causing the 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 395 

receiving valves to be lifted, so that they are cut 
out of operation and the pump is thereby thrown 
out of action. When the reservoir pressure 
has fallen below the standard at which the gov- 
ernor is set, the D slide valve is forced to its 
inward position by the spring, thereby allowing 
the air to escape from trip-piston chambers, and 
as the pistons are forced down by springs pro- 
vided for the purpose, the receiving valves seat 
themselves, and the pump is again in operation 
until it is cut out again by the regulator. This 
style of regulator is undoubtedly the best that 
can be devised, for the reason that regulators 
which allow the pressure to be discharged into 
the atmosphere when the pump is cut out usually 
leak very badly, and have the further disad- 
vantage of keeping the pump valves in service 
all the time. 

THE OPERATING VALVE 

For the purpose of controlling the flow of the 
air either into or out of the brake cylinder, there 
are ordinarily two operating valves on each car, 
one at each end, and they are made in two 
forms. Form OVT, shown in Plate 84, has the 
valve proper placed upon the platform with the 
operating head directly above it at the level of 



39«^ 



MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 



the motorman's hand. On the top of this head 
is 'c 1 luble gau^'r. : t red hand of which shows 
:he reservoir prtssur^ i i the black hand the 
pressure in the brake c.\ r. ir. Owing to this 
convenient locatic r. : . t ~ ; : : man 
carr. : : fail to know at al ::z:r5 the 
pressure in his reservoir and us: 
how much brake power ne is 
using. Ti t ^ii^'r is protected by 
hea\-3' plare ^iiss md is in practi- 
call}- no danger oi oeiiig broken. In 
the head, directly belov :i.t gauge, 
is a revolvable casting provided 
vviih a horizontal, cylindrical socket 
and a latch, so that when the 
handle :s inserted in the socket it 
::^ : r ?: am rre a me may 
be rotated, but when the handle 
is withdrawn the cas:ir-g is au:c- 
matically locked in its piace. Ti.e 
shell of the head is made s: :i.a: 

PLATE XO..S4: — 

op£SATixG TAI.TE thc haudlc cau be inserted or 
removed only when it is in one par- 
ticular position, usually that of lap position, when 

aii ports in the valve are closed. Tiais prevents 
any one tampering with the. valve a: the rear end 

:: :he car. The revolvabie castir.^- in the he a a is 




ITS USE AND ABUSE 



%^J 



connected to the stem of the valve proper by 
means of a vertical shaft enclosed in a pipe shield 
and provided with a flexible coupling. This stem 
is provided with a pinion, which engages with a 




PLATE NO. 86— OPERATING VALVE O V G 



rack mounted on the slide valve, so that when 
the handle is moved the valve slides from side 
to side between its guides. 

When it is inconvenient to place the valve on 



398 MODERN A1R-BR.\KE PRACTICE 



o 



the floor, type OVG operating valve, as shown 
in Plate 85, is used; with this valve the head is 
mounted upon and forms a part of the valve 
casing, but in all other respects it is identical 
with valve OIHT. 

Just below the slot in which the handle of 
these valves move is a little shelf, on which is 
clearly marked the different positions to which 
the brake-valve handle may be moved. There 
are four positions of the operating valve handle, 
viz^ release, lap, service, and emergency. Re- 
lease position is marked "off," meaning that the 
brakes are off or released. Lap position means 
that the brake cylinder is cut off from communi- 
cation with both the atmosphere and the reser- 
voir. Service position means that the valve is 
in position so that a small port is open for the 
purpose of allowing the reservoir pressure to be 
gradually ai~:::ed to the brake cylinder for 
makings ser. :^ ;::p. Emergency position is 
used V rr :> t :uii brake power is required and 
when :vr ;^r i t is in this position the largest 
port in the ri :r valve is open, permitting the 
brakes tc :t 11 : . 1 . 5 tantly. 

A very little practice will enable a motorman 
to handle his brake in such a manner as to avoid 
the shocking of passengers and the sliding of car 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 399 

wheels. Emergency position should never be 
used except in case of supposed or actual danger. 
But whenever it is required to use the emergency 
the handle of the operating valve should be 
irnmediately thrown to that position and held 
there until the car stops or the danger is past. 

Plate 86, illustrates the arrangement of the 
straight air-brake equipment on a motor car 
with trailer car attached. As each part is plainly 
marked on the illustration, no further explana- 
tion is necessary to describe the plate. 

It will be noticed that in this illustration there 
are two reservoirs; one is known as the pre- 
liminary reservoir and the other as the main 
reservoir. This system of having two reservoirs 
applies only where the geared axle-driven com- 
pressor is used, as when the motor-driven com- 
pressor is used only one reservoir is required. 

With the equipment illustrated on Plate 86 the 
passage of the compressed air is as follows: 
from axle-driven compressor through the check 
valve to the preliminary reservoir, from the pre- 
liminary reservoir through trainpipe to the oper- 
ating valves on either end of the car. And when 
the handle of the brake valve is moved to serv- 
ice or emergency position the air passes through 
the brake valve into the brake-cylinder pipe and 



400 :/ODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

from thence into the brake cylinder. When the 
air leaves the preliminary reservoir and while it 
is filling the trainpipe it is also passing to the 
automatic regulator or governor. 

You will notice a duplex check valve on the 
end of the main reservoir. This is placed there 
for the purpose of allowing thirty-five pounds of 
air to be accumulated quickly in the preliminary 
reservoir in order to make a stop within a very 
short distance * after the car first starts out. 
When the pressure rises to thirrv-five pounds 
the duplex check valve is opened and the main 
reservoir is then filled along with the rest of the 
equipment up to the standard pressure at which 
the automatic regulator is set, which is 45 pounds. 

In releir'.r. _: the brake, the handle of the oper- 
ating valve IS thrown to the position marked 
"off/' which allows the air in the brake cylinder 
to flow back through the brake valve and out to 
the atmosphere through the mufHer beneath the 
car platform. 

Again referring to Plate 82, 1 wish to call your 
attention to ,the small equalizing lever, marked 
GA. This is a patented modification or the 
well-known steam railroad leverage, which is 
especially adapted to the requirements of trac- 
tion service. By this system of leverage greater 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 40i 

brake power is obtained by the hand brake with- 
out the use of an excessively long cross lever. In 
the ordinary construction the point of attach- 
ment of the chain to the cross lever is located in 
line with the axis of the brake cylinder, and the 
pull is therefore directly at the end of the lever 
B, and to obtain proper hand-brake power on 
heavy cars the lever marked X, in Plate 82, 
would have to be longer than the width of the 
car. As this would be impracticable, instead of 
having a long lever X in order to get the proper 
hand-brake power, the lever A is introduced, 
thereby overcoming the trouble completely, 
besides giving a much better clearance between 
the pull rods and the wheels. 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO 
SECTION 8 

COVERING THE OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE OF 

THE STRAIGHT AIR-BRAKE EQUIPMENT 

ON ELECTRIC TRACTION CARS 

1. What is the principal difference between 
the automatic air brake and the straight air 
brake? 

Ans. — The automatic air brake requires the 
action of a triple valve in order to charge, set 
and release brakes, whereas with the straight 
air brake the operating of the brake valve regu- 
lates the flow of the air into and out of the brake 
cylinder. 

2. As compressed air is the power by which 
the brakes are applied, what is it that compresses 
the air? 

Ans. — A geared axle-driven air compressor. 

3. Can you explain the operation of the axle- 
driven compressor? 

Ans. — There is a gear attached to the axle of 

the car, which is meshed into. a gearing to which 

IS connected a crank shaft, which passes through 

the middle of the pump cylinder, in which are 

402 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 403 

two pistons which are connected to the crank 
shaft in such a manner that as the shaft revolves 
it gives to the pistons a reciprocating movement, 
and as there are two receiving valves which per- 
mit the atmospheric pressure to enter the pump 
cylinder the motion of the pistons compresses 
the atmospheric air and forces it through two 
discharge valves into suitable reservoirs, in 
which the air is stored ready for use in applying 
the brakes. 

4. What controls the action of the air com- 
pressor? 

Ans. — An automatic regulator, or governor. 

5. At what pressure should the regulator cut 
out the pump? 

Ans. — At forty-five pounds. 

6. How does the regulator control the action 
of the pump? 

Ans. — When forty-five pounds has been accu- 
mulated in the reservoir the piston in the regu- 
lator is forced outwardl}/ by the reservoir 
presure. As there is a D slide valve attached 
to this piston, it is moved so that the port in the 
valve seat is uncovered, which admits com- 
pressed air to the under side of the trip pistons 
below the receiving valves, causing them to 
unseat the receiving valves so that the pump 



404 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

cannot compress any more air. When the reser- 
voir pressure falls slightl}' below forty-five 
pounds' the graduating spring in the regulator 
forces the piston and slide valve inward, so that 
the air contained in the chamber below the trip 
pistons can escape to the atmosphere, and the 
pressure having thus left the under side of the 
trip pistons the spring on the opposite side forces 
the trip pistons down and allovv's the receiving 
valves to again seat themselves and thereby put 
the pump again into action. 

7. At what pressure is the duplex check valve 
set between the preliminary and main reser- 
voirs? 

Ans. — At thirty-five pounds. 

8. Why is it set at thirty-five pounds? 

Ans. — In order that sufficient brake power 
may be accumulated in as short a run as only 
one hundred yards, and also to enable sufficient 
brake pressure to be maintained on the inter- 
urban cars when running at slow speed through 
cities. 

Q. What amount of pressure should there be 
in the brake cylinder in making a service 
stop? 

Ans. — In making a seridce stop the brake cyl- 
inder should maintain from twenty-five to thirty 



ITS USE AND ABUSE ' 405 

pounds, as indicated by the black hand of the 
gauge. 

10. What pressure should there be in the 
brake cylinder in making an emergency action? 

Ans. — Forty pounds, which is also indicated 
by the black hand of the gauge. 

11. In what position should the handle of the 
brake valve be carried in running along? 

Ans. — If the brake valve is tight the handle 
should be carried on lap position, but if the 
valve leaks slightly the handle should be carried 
in release or at the position marked "off." 

12. If the valve leaks slightly and the handle 
was carried on lap, what effect would it have? 

Ans. — It would cause the brakes to gradually 
creep on. 

13. What attention should be paid to the 
lubricant in the housing of the a3cle-driven com- 
pressor? 

Ans. — The oil should never be allowed to get 
below the pump shaft. 

14. How often should the oil be replenished? 
Ans. — This depends upon the service that the 

car is in and the condition of the bearings on the 
axle, so that it is not possible to say just how 
often it will be necessary to replenish the oil. 
But when a car is first put into service, the cover 



4o6 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

should be removed from the gear housing at 
least once a week and enough grease be added 
to bring the level well above the pump shaft. 
By noting the amount found remaining in the 
housing each time, it can be readily seen if it 
needs grease oftener or if it will run for a longer 
period without replenishing. 

15. What kind of a lubricant should be used? 

Ans. — A grease about the consistency of vase- 
line. A very heavy West Mrginia crude oil is 
the best for the cylinder, and it should be kept 
at the level of the crank shaft. It should be 
poured in through the opening on the top of the 
cylinder, or extension of the housing. It is very 
important that the lubrication be carefully 
looked after. 

16. What other points should be looked after 
in maintaining the straight air-brake equip- 
ment? 

Ans. — Other than attending to the proper 
supplying of lubricant there is little to do besides 
keeping the brake shoe-slack taken up and see- 
ing that no nuts have become loosened; this lat- 
ter inspection should be made at least once a 
day, if possible, and need take but a minute, as 
all nuts and bolts that can loosen are on the out- 
side. 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 40? 

> 17. How often should the compressor be taken 
off the axle and cleaned and examined thor- 
oughly? 

Ans. — This should be done at regular intervals 
of three months, if the car is in hard service. 
The bearings on the axle should then be re- 
placed and the old ones re-babbitted for the next 
one. As this is practically the only place where 
oil can escape from the compressor it is neces- 
sary to keep these bearings close to the axle. 

18. If the pressure cannot be raised in the 
reservoir, what should you do? 

Ans. — Disconnect the discharge hose union, 
and while the car is running hold the hand over 
the opening, and if for each revolution of the 
axle there are two equally sharp spurts of air, 
the pump is all right, but should you not feel 
these sharp spurts of air, the discharge and 
receiving valves should be examined, as they 
may be stuck. A large leak is somewhat diffi- 
cult to locate, as with the axle compressor the 
car must be in motion to do any pumping. For 
this reason roads having a large number of air- 
brake equipments should have a stationary com- 
pressor, either belt or motor driven, which with 
two reservoirs make a very convenient testing 
outfit. If the discharge and receiving valves are 



4o8 MODERN AIR-BRAKE PRACTICE 

found to be all right, the lack of pressure may 
be caused by the air escaping through the oper- 
ating valve, as dirt may have gotten between the 
valves on its seat. If this is found to be all 
right, the pipes should be examined to see if 
they have cracked anywhere, or if a fitting has 
broken. 

19. If the compressor fails to pump, what 
should be done? 

Ans. — Remove the fitting under the suction 
valves and see if the little trip pistons are free; 
if the suction or regulating pipes were not prop- 
erly cleaned, dirt may cause one of the pistons 
to stick and hold the suction valve open. It is 
also possible to feel from below whether the 
valves are seating properly. 

20. If one suction valve sticks and the other 
one does not, what is the effect on the pump? 

Ans. — The pump will attain maximum pres- 
sure, but it will take twice as long to do it. 

21. If one discharge valve sticks open, what 
effect will it have? 

Ans. — The pump will only raise the pressure 
to about twenty pounds. 

22. As the pump valves are all interchange- 
able, what precaution should be taken after 
cleaning them? 



ITS USE AND ABUSE 40O 

Ans. — You must be sure to put them back in 
their old seats. Otherwise they are liable to 
leak, as no ground valves are interchangeable 
without re-grinding on the new seats. 

23. Should the pump fail to cut out at the 
point at which the regulator is set, what should 
you do? 

Ans. — Take down the trip fitting and see that 
the trip pistons are free; instances have occurred 
of a long trip-piston packing leather being caught 
between the trip fitting and cylinder body when 
bolting the fitting on. 

24. When the compressor valves are all in 
good order and the operating valve is tight, 
what might cause the compressor to pump 
slowly? 

Ans. — A kink in the suction hose by which it 
is doubled over on itself will cause the compres- 
sor to pump slowly, owing to the diminished sup- 
ply passage. 

25. In removing the cover of the housing to 
oil the compressor, what should you be partic- 
ular to notice? 

Ans. — That nothing is allowed to drop into 
the housing; the lodging of a stray bolt or nut 
between the gears will destroy the whole ma 
chine. 



INDEX 



Note. — The Index for Straight Air Brakes as used on Elec- 
tric Traction Cars vnll be found on page 429. 

Action of air valves in New York pump 233 

Action of air valves in AYestinghoiise pump 183 

Air brake control, Dukesmith system 312 

Air brake defects, New York 261-289 

Air brake defects, Westinghouse 197 

Air brake defects, Westinghouse, questions and 

answers 212 

Air brake equipment, Dukesmith, questions and 

answers 321 

Air brake equipment. New York system 220 

Air brake equipment, New York, questions and 

answers 289 

Air brake equipment, YTestinghouse 19 

Air brake instruction car, interior view of 113 

Air brake testing and inspection 336 

Air, course of from pump to brake cylinder, West- 

inghouse system 191 

Air, course of, through New York triple valve .... 269 

Air, course of through triple 34 

Air, course of, through Westinghouse brake valve. 136 

Air end of eight -inch pump, action of, 100 

Air end of New York pump, operation of 231, 295 

Air Gauge, function of 19 

Air passages through triple 28 

Air pumps, differences between New York and 

Westinghouse 291 

411 



412 INDEX 

Air, pump, function of 19 

Air pressures, standard of ... 195 

Air Signal pressure Reducing Yalve, New York, 

illustrated 285 

Air Signal System, New York 286 

Air, temperature of, in pump 110 

Air valves, action of New York pump 233 

Air valves in eight-inch pump, action of 100 

Air valves in Westinghouse pumps, lift of 181 

Air valves, operation of in YTestinghouse pump . . . 183 

Application of brakes, definition 310 

Association, Mental Law of 8 

Automatic exhaust valve, described 323 

Automatic Lap, New York brake valve, failure of. 261 
Automatic Lap, service position, New York brake 

valve, illustrated 253 

Automatic oil cup for pumps 238 

Automatic release signal, construction of 331 

Automatic release signal, described 316 

Automatic release signal, operation of 86 

Automatic release signal, styles A and B, illus- 
trated ■ 92 

Automatic release signal, function of 22 

Automatic reducing valve, Westinghouse high 

speed brake 115 

A\itomatic reducing valve, Westinghouse, illus- 
trated 116 

Automatic reducing valve, Westinghouse, release 

position, illustrated 153 

Auxiliary capacity « 365 

Auxiliary, diameter of 366 

Auxiliary release valve, function of . -. 69 

Auxiliarv reservoir, function of , . 20 



INDEX 413 

Auxiliary reservoir, recharging 34 

Bleeding off stuck brakes, cost of ■ 72 

Bleed valve, auxiliary, function of 69 

Blow at train pipe exhaust, Westinghouse brake 

valve, cause of 208 

Blow at triple exhaust, Westinghouse 201 

Brake, cam driver 370 

Brake cylinders, diameter of 366 

Brake cylinder, function of 20 

Brake, high speed, described 144 

Brake levers illustrated 360, 362, 364 and 369 

Brake leverage, rules for 355 

Brake locomotive truck 372 

Brake, outside equalized driver. . ., 368 

Brake power generated in different sized cylinders, 

table of 365 

Brake power in proportion to stopping distance . . 338 

Brake power, percentage required on freight cars. 337 

Brake power, rules for 336, 361 

Braking power required, standard of 367 

Brake sticking, one cause of 38 

Brake valve, Dukesmith engineers 312 

Brake valve, D-8, engineers, described 120 

Brake valve, D-8, illustrated 118 

Brake valve, P-6, illustrated 128 

Brake valve, F'-6, Westinghouse, parts of 131 

Brake valve, G-6, illustrated 138 

Brake valve. New York, emergency position, illus- 
trated 254 

Brake valve. New York engineer's 247 

Brake valve, New York, full release position, illus- 
trated 249 

Brake v^alve. New York, notches on 262 



414 INDEX 

Brake valve, New York, service position, illus- 
trated 252 

Brake valve, New York Straight Air, illustrated . . 278 
Brake valve, New York Straight Air, operation 

of ' 306 

Brake valve, Westinghouse, valve seats. 166 

Brake valve, Westinghouse, course of air through . 136 
Brake valves, Westinghouse, difference between . . 124 
Brake valve, Westinghouse, engineer's, defects of. 207 

Brake valve, Westinghouse, F-6, described 126 

Brake valve, Westinghouse, F-6, illustrated 132 

Brake valve, Westinghouse, G-6, described 137 

Brake valve, Westinghouse, positions on 194 

Brake, Westinghouse high speed, illustrated 142 

Break in two, how to prevent 345 

By-pass, Dukesniith straight air control, construc- 
tion of 333 

Cam driver brake 370 

Capacity of cylinders and auxiliaries 365 

Car control valve, Dukesmith, functions of 22-316 

Car control valve, operation of 89-177 

Car control valve and release signal, illustrated. . . 91 

Car discharge valve. New York, illustrated 287 

Car levers, method of designing 367 

Cavity D in Westinghouse brake valve described. . 133 

Chamber D, New York brake valve 259 

Combined automatic and straight air valve. New 

York system, described 276 

Combined release and retaining valve, illustrated. 112 
Combined straight air and automatic brake valve, 

Westinghouse, illustrated 162 

Combined straight air and automatic engine brake, 

Westinghouse and New York 156 



INDEX 415 

Comparative action of triple valve 26 

Compensating valve, New York, high speed 

brake, illustrated 281 

Conductor's valve, function of 21 

Conductor's valve, operation of 93 

Control valve, Dukesmith Straight Air, illustrated. 313 
Control valve, Dukesmith Straight Air, sectional 

view 315 

Course of air from pump to brake cylinder, West- 

inghouse system 191 

Course of air through New York Quick Action 

Triple Valve 269 

Course of air through triple 34 

Course of air through Westinghouse brake valve . . 136 

Cut-out Cock, Dukesmith Emergency 318 

Cylinder capacity 365 

Cylinder and reservoirs, sizes of 336 

Cylinders, New York pump, diameter of . . ! 296 

Defective air brakes, cost of 14 

D, Chamber, New York brake valve 259 

Defects New York Air brake equipment 284-289 

Defects of air gauge 206 

Defects of eight-inch Westinghouse pump 203 

Defects of pump governor, Westinghouse 206 

Defects, Westinghouse air brake 197 

Defects of Westinghouse engineer's brakc^ valve. . 207 
Defects Westinghouse equipment^ questions snd 

answers 212 

Defects of Westinghouse nine and one-half-inch 

pump 204 

Defects of whistle signal system, Westinghouse. . . 209 

Designing car levers, method of 367 

Diameters of cylinders and auxiliaries ; 366 



416 INDEX 

Diameter of steam cylinders, New York pump .... 296 

Diameters, rule for squaring 363 

Discharge valve, leaky, test for, Westinghouse .... 204 

Distributing valve, Westinghouse 141 

Double check valve 157 

Double check valve, function of, 307 

Double check valve, illustrated 158 

Double-heading cut-out cock, construction of 332 

Double-heading cut-out cock, illustrated 319 

Driver brake, cam 370 

Driver brake control system, Dukesmith 314 

Driver brake control valve, Dukesmith, illustrated 313 

Driver brake, outside equalized 368 

Dukesmith air brake control system, parts and 

their duties 312 

Dukesmith air brake equipment, questions and an- 
swers 321 

Dukesmith car control valve, functions of 22-316 

Dukesmith emergency cut-out cock 318 

Dukesmith engineers' automatic l)rake valve 312 

Dukesmith straight air control system, described. 314 

Dukesmith straight air control valve, illustrated. . 313 

Duplex air pump, New York. 221 

Duplex pump governor '. 144 

Eight-inch pump, Westinghouse, parts of 95 

Electric traction car brakes ^ 385 

Emergency action, New York triple 275 

Emergency action, undesired, Westinghouse 202 

Einergency action, Westinghouse quick action 

triple explained 62 

Emergency cut-out cock, construction of 332 

Emergency cut-out cock, Dukesmith, functions of. 318 

Etmergency cut-out cock, illustrated 319 



INDEX 417 

Emergency position, New York brake valve, il- 
lustrated 254 

Emergency position on Westinghouse brake valve 

described 130 

Emergency position, Westinghouse automatic re- 
ducing valve, illustrated 151 

Engineer's brake valve, Dukesmith 312 

Engineer 's brake valve, function of 19 

Engineer's brake valve, New York 247 

Engineer's brake valve. New York, illustrated. . . . 249 
Engineer's brake valve, Westinghouse, defects of. 207 
Engineer's brake valve, Westinghouse, F-6, de- 
scribed 126 

Engine control, Westinghouse 141 

Engineer's D-8 brake valve described 120 

Equalization of pressures 336 

Equalization of pressure, average idea of 16 

Equalizing of pressures in running position, West- 
inghouse brake valve, cause of 207 

Equalization of pressure, rule for computing 363 

Equalizing piston. New York brake valve, ac- 
tion of 260 

Examination questions and answers on air brake 

, handling, brake power, leverage, etc 375 

E'"xcess pressure, New York brake valve, how se- 
cured 298 

Excess pressure, New York valve .* 266 

Excess pressure, purpose of 195 

Excess pressure valve, New York brake valve, pur- 
pose of 262 

Excess pressure valve. New York, how to regu- 
late 266 

Exhaust valve, Dukesmith automatic 323 



418 



2^ 

&l 319 

r: r - mof : 38 

_ :ited... 13S 

: 139 

i HO 

: r 315 

127 

ete of 306 

1 . T i- ; _tZ1 rz^etiom of 19 

.£t ~ T :~ jhoBse, desaibed 137 

>---_r, V-ir 7 £ :„- ^-.--.^ '2M 

and 27— T :]:: ' 296 

Goiia!iM»°. T i:_; r-:z T«m of Ill 

Gkywcmor j _ l: ; . _{Hise^ aetiffia of 116 

GoTcznor : ~— : - . noose, fDnsamfeed IH 

G^adoali::, "^ M 

Giadiiafc, _ i m 

HaaidDBiig z_r.^_: r _ : _ _: __ . :^^e 3W 

HaindliTOg of £ppi ^ ~ t: i _ 345 

Handfii^ passeng&r "::_^~ — ::_ " ijtL: i: _ - 

HamdHmg fzains cki _ - ^ 

H^T - ^ " . 7 adeS; traiz _ ^ . ^- ^m -i^u 

Z: _ - ^"zi^ne eimz- laO 

2S1 

Z: . _ - - ^ -■ ; . 7: - ' - . , . Z IM 

z._:_^ - :- - _ :. _ '^z. m2 



INDEX 419 

Inspection and testing; air brakes 336 

Instruction car, interior view of 113 

Intermediate valves, New York pump 233, 296 

Jiggling, Westinghouse pump, test for 205 

Knowledge, method of acquiring 9 

Lap position on Westinghouse brake valve de- 
scribed 129 

Law governing air-braked cars 384 

Laws of mind explained 8 

Leakage from Cbamber D, New York valve ef- 
fect of 264 

Leaks, train pipe, danger of 39 

Leaky discharge valve, Westinghouse, test for. . . . 204 
Leaky packing rings in Westinghouse pump, test 

for 205 

Leverage, rules for 355-336 

Levers, method of designing 359-367 

Lift of air valves in Westinghouse pumps 181 

Locomotive truck brake 372 

Logic, law of 8 

Main reservoir, location of 187 

Mental laws explained 8 

Method of study 9 

Neglect of air brakes, cause of 10 

New York air brake equipment, parts and their 

duties 220 

New York air brake equipment, questions and an- 
swers t 289 

New York air pump 221 

New York brake valve, method of piping 248 

New York brake valve, ports and passages 261 

New York brake valve, positions of handle 258 

New York combined automatic and straight air 

valve, described 276 



420 INDEX 

New York compensating valve, Mgli speed brake. 

illustrated 281 

New York engineer's brake valve 247 

New York pump, air end of 231 

New York pump governor, illustrated 234 

New York pump, illustrated 222 

New York pump, operation of steam end 294 

New York pump, steam end, action of 227 

New York quick action triple valve 268 

New York safety valve, illustrated 280 

New York straight air brake valve, operation of. . 306 

New York triple, emergency action 275 

New York Avhistle signal pressure reducing valve, 

illustrated 285 

New York whistle signal system 286 

New York whistle signal valve, illustrated = . 286 

Nine and one-half inch pump, operation of steam 

end 184 

Notches on New York brake valve, purpose of . . . . 262 

Oil cup, automatic, for pumps 238 

Oiling pump 108 

Outside equalized driver brake 368 

Over confidence, danger of 12 

Packing rings, leaky, in Westinghouse pump, test 

for 205 

Parts of plain triple valve 27 

Parts of TTestinghouse eight-inch pump 95 

Parts of Westinghouse quick action triple valve . . 50 
Percentage of brake power of loaded and empty 

cars 339 

Percentage of braking power required 367 

Percentage of brake power required on freight 

cars 337 



INDEX > 421 

Philosophy of air brake handling 336 

Piping Dnkesmith straight air control valve, 

method of 317 

Piping for New York duplex governor, double 

pressure system 242 

Piping New York brake valve 248 

Piping New York compensating valve 282 

Piping Ne>v York duplex pump governor, single 

pressure system 237 

Piping New York pump governor, method of 245 

Piping New York single governor, single pressure 

system 241 

Piping Westinghouse automatic and straight air 

brake, illustrated 160 

Piston travel on cars 376 

Piston travel on locomotives 376 

Piston travel, uneven, danger of 378 

Plain triple valve, illustrated 30 

Plain triple valve, old style, illustrated . . . '. 64 

Plain triple valve, parts of 27 

Ports and passages in New York brake valve ..... 261 

Ports in New York brake valve 258 

Ports in triple valve 28 

Positions in Westinghouse brake valve 194 

Positions of Westinghouse quick action triple 

valve explained 50 

Positions on Westinghouse brake valves described. 127 

Pounding in Westinghouse pump, test for . 205 

Pressure, equalization of 336 

Pressures, equalizing in running position, Westing- 
house brake valve, cause of 207 

Pressure, excess, purpose of 195 

Pressure reducing valve. New York straight air, 

illustrated 279 



422 . IXDEX 

Pressure retaining Talve, fanetion of 20 

"Pressnre retaining' valve, illustrated 75 

Pressore retainTng' Talve. operation of 73 

ProporTi::!. r^_: :v>n 356 

Pmnp. action of steam end of Westingiioiise eight- 

±± 95 

3 : :_ _: I cigiit-incli Wesr::i^_ ise 100 

3 _ - iz: LriirT between Xe^:^ York and West- 

-. 291 

? ;:_ :^z: 1^ ^ llnstrated 97 

z i_^ ti^I:-::: _ "^estinghonse. parts of 95 

Pump, eleven-ineii^ Westinglionse 107 

P : : function of 19 

-7 :_ r:vemor. difference between WestinglicrLse 

^-:. y--^ ^::'z 2yo 

? . z V X lu 

s :_ gOTemor^ fnnction of 19. Ill 

^ ~Z gOYemor, New York^ iUnstrated 231 

I —^ ^ vemor. New York, method of piping. . . . 215 
? :_ _ TrTnor, New York triplex^ piping for, 

' T ^ r-ssnre system , 243 

s ^ ri _ : . Westinghonse, action of 116 

goTemor^ Westinghonsey defects of 206 

gOTemor, Westinghonse. iUnstrated Ill 

Xr~ York, action of, steam end 227 

New York^ air end of 231 

New York, diameter of steam cylinders 296 

New York duplex 221 

Xt— York duplex^ illnstrated 222 

Ne^ York, operation of air end of 295 

New Yorky oi)eration of steam end 291 

i'Jng 108 

:_iiie an^ one-half ineh. iUnstrated. ...,.,. 101 



INDEX 423 

Pump, nine and one-half inch Westinghouse, de- 
fects of 204 

Pumps, right and left hand 107 

Pump, stroke of piston, New York 223 

Pump, Westinghouse eight-inch, defects of 203 

Pump, Westinghouse, jiggling, test for 205 

Pump, Westinghouse nine and one-half inch, oper- 
ation of ; 103 

Pump, Westinghouse, pounding, test for 205 

Questions and answers on the Dukesmith air brake 

equipment 321 

Questions and answers on the philosophy of air 

brake handling, brake power, leverage, etc. . . 375 
Questions and answers to section 2, Westinghouse 

equipment 173 

Questions and answers to. section 3, Westinghouse 

equipment defects 212 

Questions and answers to section 4, New York air 

brake equipment 289 

Quick action triple in emergency position, West- 
ing house, illustrated 60 

Quick action triple in lap position, Westinghouse, 

illustrated 56 

Quick action triple valve, function of 20 

Quick action triple valve in service position, West- 
inghouse, illustrated 54 

Quick action triple valve, N3W York 268 

Quick action triple valve, TTew York, illustrated. . 269 
Quick action triple, Westinghouse, illustrated. ... 48 
Quick action triple valve, Westinghouse, opera- 
tion of 4G 



Quick action triple valve, Westinghouse, parts of . . 50 
Recharging auxiliary reservoir, , . , 34 



424 INDEX 

Recharging train pipe, rule for 350 

Reducing valve, automatic Westinghouse, illus- 
trated . 146 

Reducing valve, Westinghouse high speed brake . . 145 

Reducing valve, whistle signal. New York 285 

Releasing brakes, method of 347 

Release signal, automatic, construction of 331 

Release signal, automatic, function of 22 

Release signal, described 316 

Release signal, operation of 86, 177 

Release signal, styles A and B, illustrated 92 

Release valve, auxiliary, function of 69 

Reservoirs and cylinders, sizes of 336 

Reservoir, auxiliary, function of 20 

Retaining valve, average idea of 18 

Retaining valve, function of 20 

Retaining valve illustrated 75 

Retaining valve, operation of 73 

Reversing engine, danger of 346 

Reversing valve. New York pump, operation of . . . 293 
Rules and tables for computing brake power, lever- 
age, etc 336 

Rules for calculating brake power 361 

Running position, Westinghouse brake valve de- 
scribed , 127 

Sand, use of 346, 382 

Safety valve. New York, illustrated 280 

Service application position on Westinghouse 

brake valve described 129 

Service position, automatic lap, New York brake 

valve, illustrated . : 253 

Service position. New York brake valve, illus- 
trated , 252 



INDEX 425 

Setting out cars, rule for 350 

Sizes of cylinders and reservoirs 336 

Slack adjuster complete, illustrated 78 

Slack adjuster, function of 21 

Slack adjuster, operation of / 77 

Slack adjuster, sectional view illustrated 80 

Slack adjuster, size of cylinder port, illustrated. . . 84 

Slide-valve feed-valve, described 139 

Slide-valve feed-valve, illustrated 140 

Slide-valve, New York brake valve, illustrated. . . . 255 

Stalling trains, cause of 383 

Standard air pressures 195 

Standard braking power required 367 

Steam end of eight-inch pump, action of 95 

Steam end of New York pump, action of 227 

Steam end of New York pump, operation of 294 

Steam end of nine and one-half inch Westinghouse 

pump, operation of 184 

Stopping distance in proportion to brake power. . . 338 
Straight air and automatic engine brake, West- 
inghouse and New York 156 

Straight air brake, advantage of 283 

Straight air brakes on electric traction cars 385 

Straight air brake valve. New York, described. . . . 276 
Straight air brake valve. New York, illustrated. . 278 
Straight air brake valve. New York, operation of. 306 
Straight air brake valve, Westinghouse, de- 
scribed 164 

Straight air brake valve, Westinghouse, illus- 
trated 162 

Straight air control valve, Dukesmith, illustrated. 313 
Straight air control valve, Dukesmith, method of 

piping 317 



426 INDEX 

Straight air control valve, Dukesmith, sectional 

view 315 

Straight air reducing valve, New York, illustrated. 279 

Street car brakes 385 

Stroke of pump piston, New York 223 

Stuck brakes, cost of bleeding off 72 

Stuck brake, one cause of ^ 38 

Tables and rules for computing brake power, lev- 
erage, etc 336 

Taking water, method of 349 

Temperature of air in pump 110 

Tender brake sticking, cause of 379 

Test for defects in Westinghouse engineer's brake 

valve 207 

Test for leaky packing rings in Westinghouse 

pump 205 

Tests for Westinghouse pump governor defects. . . 206 

Test for Westinghouse pump pounding 205 

Test for whistle signal defects, Westinghouse .... 209 

Testing air gauge 206 

Testing and inspection of air brakes 336 

Testing for defects, Westinghouse 197 

Testing trains, rules for 352 

Traction car brakes 385 

Train handling 336 

Train handling on heavy grades. 350 

Train handling with high speed brake 342 

Train handling with one and two applications . . . 340 
Tfain pipe exhaust, Westinghouse brake valve, 

blow at 208 

Train pipe, function of 20 

Train pipe leaks, danger of 39 

Train pipe leaks, danger of on heavy grades 351 



INDEX 427 

Train pipe reduction, rule governing 350 

Train stalling, cause 383 

Train tests, rules for 352 

Triple exhaust, blow, Westinghouse 201 

Triple valve, auxiliary reservoir and brake 

cylinder combined, illustrated 70 

Triple valve, comparative action of 26 

Triple valve, defects, Westinghouse 198 

Triple valve, duties of 198 

Triple valve, New York, emergency action 275 

Triple valve. New York, operation of 270 

Triple valve. New York quick action 268 

Triple valve. New York quick action, illustrated. . 269 

Triple valve, plain, illustrated 30 

Triple valve, plain, old style, illustrated 64 

Triple valve, plain, parts of 27 

Triple valve, positions of Westinghouse quick ac- 
tion explained 50 

Triple valve, quick action, function of 20 

Triple valve, quick action, Westinghouse, illus- 
trated 48 

Triple valve, Westinghouse, emergency action of . . 62 
Triple valve, Westinghouse quick action in lap 

position, illustrated 56 

Triple valve, Westinghouse, ciuick action, in serv- 
ice position, illustrated 54 

Triple valve, Westinghouse quick action, opera- 
tion of 46 

Triple valve, Westinghouse quick action, parts of. 50 
Triple valve, Westinghouse quick action triple in 

emergency position, illustrated 60 

Triple valve, why needed 25 

Triplex pump governor. New York, piping for, 

double pressure system 243 



428 INDEX 

Track brake 372 

Truck brake, illustrated 373 

Two application stop, method of . 341 

U spring in triple, function of 45 

Yalve. car control, function of 22 

Yalve, conductor's, function of 21 

Valve. Dukesmitb automatic exliaust 323 

Valve. Dukesmith straight air. illustrated 315 

Valve, engineer's D-S brake, illustrated 118 

Valve, graduating, function of 10 

Valves, intermediate, Xew York pump 233 

Yalve, Xew York engineer's brake, illustrated. . . . 219 

Yalve. retaining, function of 20 

Valve, triple, function of 20 

Yalve Westinghouse, distributing Ill 

Vent piston. Xew York triple, function of 302 

Vent valve. Xew York brake valve, ptirpose of . . . . 262 
Warning port, Westinghouse brake valve, func- 
tion of 137 

TTestinghouse engine equipment, new style Ill 

Westinghouse equipment, parts and their duties. 19 
VTestinghouse equipment, questions and answers 

to section 2 173 

"VTestiughouse quick action triple, operation of . . . . 16 

Whistle signal, defects, Westinghouse system 209 

Whistle signal pressure reducing valve, Xew Y rk. 

illustrated ' 2S5 

Whistle signal system. Xew York 2S6 

Whistle signal system. Westinghouse 168 

Whistle signal system. Westinghouse, illustrated. . 170 

^Vhistle signal valve. Xew York, action of 2S8 

Whistle sigmal valve. Xew York, illustrated 286 



TEACTION BEAKE INDEX 

Index of Straight Air Brake Equipment on Electric 

Traction Cars. 

Note — For Automatic Air Brake Equipment, see Special Index 

page 411. 

A 

Action of air compressor 390 

Air brake, equipment, arrangement of 399 

Air brake handling 387 

Air, passage of through equipment 399 

Air pressure, standard of 400 

Axle-driven compressor 390 

Answers and questions 402 

Automatic and straight air brake, difference be- 
tween 402 

Automatic regulator 394 

B 

Brake levers 388 

Brake valve, positions 398 



Check valve, duplex 400 

Cleaning compressor 407 

Crank shaft compressor ' 392 

Compressor, axle-driven 390 

Compressor, axle-driven, capacity of 393 

Compressor, defects in, how to detect 407 

Compressor, fails to pump 408 

Compressor, operation of 402 

Compressor, when to clean 407 

Compressor, working slow, cause of 409 

429 



430 IKDEX 

D 

Defects in compressor, how to detect 407 

Difference between automatic and stFaight air 

brakes 402 

Different kinds of brakes in ns3. 383 

Diseharems- valves of compressor 391 

Dnplex 1 :i: va Le 400 

E 

Emergency application ... 399 

Equalizing lever . 400 

Equipment, parts of 388 

F 

Failure of compressor 408 

6 

Gauge, air 396 

GoTcmor, compressor . . • 394 

H 

Handling brake valve 398 

L 

Lever, eQU'P.lizizig 400 

Leaky val"^ 409 

Lnbrieati :_ 405 

M 

3Iaintenanee of equip mem 406 

O 

Operating valve 395 

Oil ^'5 

Operating valve, jjositions on 398 

Operation of compressor 402 



INDEX 431 

P 

Parts constituting straight air brake equipment. . 388 

Passage of air through equipment 399 

Positions on brake valve 398 

Pressure, air 400 

Pi-essure required in emergency application 405 

Pressure required in service application 404 

Q 

Questions and answers 402 

R 

Receiving port of compressor , 392 

Receiving valves of compressor 391 

Regulator or governor, automatic. . . . ' 394 

Regulator, operation of 403 

Regulator, pressure set at 403 

Releasing brake 400 

Running position of brake valve 405 

S 

Standard of air pressure 400 

Sticking valve, effect of 408 

Suction valves of compressor 391 

T 

Trip piston chambers 395 

V 

Valves, discharge of compressor 391 

Valves, receiving of compressor . . .• 391 

Valve, duplex check 400 

Valve, operating 395 

Valve, stickinof, effect of , 408 



■■sj 



432 INDEX 

W 

What motormen and conductors of electric ears 

should know 385 

Plate No. 82. Special system of levers for traction 

cars 389 

Illustration showing special system of levers for 

traction cars 389 

Plate NO'. 83. Axle-driven air compressor 391 

Illustration showing axle-driven air compressor. . 391 

Plate No. 84. Operatmg valve V T 396 

Illustration showing operating valve V T 396 

Plate No. 85. Operating valve Y G 397 

Illustration showing operating valve V G 397 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Plate No. 1. New style plain triple valve. . . » 30 

Plate No. 2. Westinghouse quick action triple in 

release position 48 

Plate No, 3. Westinghouse quick action, triple in 

service position 54 

Plate No. 4. Westinghouse quick action triple in 

lap position 56 

Plate No. 5. Westinghouse quick action triple in 

emergency position 60 

Plate No. 6. Westinghouse plain triple valve, old 

style, il>istrated 64 

Plate No. 7. Triple valve, auxiliary reservoir and 

brake cylinder combined 70 

Plate No. 8. Pressure retaining valve 75 

Plate No. 9. Automatic slack adjuster, complete . . 78 
Plate No. 10. Automatic slack adjuster, sectional 

veiw , , '80 

Plate No. 11. Automatic slack adjuster size of cyl- 
inder port , 84 

Plate No. 12. The Dukesmith Car Control Valve 

and Release Signal 91 

Plate No. 13. The Dukesmith automatic Release 

Signal, styles A and B 92 

Plate No. 14. Westinghouse eight inch pump 97 

Plate No. 15. Westinghouse nine and one-half inch 

pump 101 

433 



434 ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate No. 16. Westinghonse pump goTemor 114 

_ ~r No. 17. WestinghoTise D-8 brake valve 118 

r_:i:e No. 18. D-8 brake valve and rotary 122 

PL:: :- No. 19. Westingbonse F-6 brake valve and 

1 1 style feed valve 128 

Plate No. 20. Westinghonse F-6 brake valve, ro- 
tary and seat 132 

Plate No. 21. Westinghonse G-6 brake valve 138 

Plate No. 22. Slide valve, feed valve 110 

Plate No. 23. Westinghonse high brake 142 

Plate No. 24. Westinghonse antomatic reducing 

valve 116 

Plate No. 25. Service position Westinghonse anto- 
matic redneing valve 119 

Plate No. 26. Emergency position Westinghonse 

antomatic redneing valve 151 

Plate No. 27. Release position, Westinghonse anto- 
matic redneing valve 153 

Plate No. 28. Double check valve 158 

Plate No. 28A. Method of piping Westinghonse 

antomatic and straight air brake 160 

Plate No. 29 A. Westinghonse combined straight 
air and antomatic brake valve, m^ain reservoir 

connection 162 

Plate No. 29B. Westiughouse combined straight 

air and automatic brake valve 163 

Plate No. 30. Westinghonse straight air brake 

valve - 167 

Plate No. 30A. Westinghonse combined straight 

air and automatic brake valve seats 166 

Plate No. 31. Westinghonse whistle signal system . 170 
Chart 35, Fig. 1. New York duplex pnmp pistons 

at rest 222 



ILLUSTRATIONS 435 

Chart 35, Fig. 2. New York duplex pump, low 

pressure piston on the up stroke 224 

Chart 35, Fig. 3. New York duplex pump, up 

stroke, high pressure piston 226 

Chart 35, Fig. 4. New York duplex pump, down 

stroke, low pressure piston 228 

Chart 35, Fig. 5. New York duplex pump, down 

stroke, high pressure piston 230 

Chart 35, Fig. 6. New York No. 5 duplex pump . . . 232 

Chart 36, Fig. 1. Style C New York pump gover- 
nor, steam valve open 234 

Chart 36, Fig. 2. Style C New York pump gover- 
nor, steam valve closed 235 

Chart 36, Fig. 3. Style A New York pump gover- 
nor 236 

Chart 36, Fig. 4. Piping for New York duplex 

pump governor 237 

Chart 36, Fig. 5. Piping New York single gover- 
nor, single pressure system 241 

Chart 36, Fig. 6. Piping for New York duplex gov- 
ernor, double pressure system 242 

Chart 36, Fig. 7. Piping for New York triplex 

governor, double pressure system 243 

Chart 37, -Fig. 1. New York air brake, engine equip- 
ment •. . 248 

Chart 37, Fig. 2. Full release position of New York 

brake valve 249 

Chart 37, Fig. 3. Running position. New York 

brake valve 250 

Chart 37, Fig. 4. Lap position, New York brake 

valve 251 

Chart 37, Fig. 5. Service position, New York brake 

valve 252 



436 iLLrsr?:Ar: ['Xs 

Cliart3T,Fig. 6. Ser _ 1 

New York brake valve 253 

Chart 37, Mg. 7. E^^ri'ency positionu Xew York 

brake valvc 254 

Chart 37, Fig. 8. Face of slide valve. Xew Y»:>rk 

brake valve 255 

Chart 37, Fig. 9. Port O in main slide valve seat. 

Xew York brake valve. . . 255 

Chart 37, Fig. 10. Passage H ana paisag^ u in Xew 

York brake valve 256 

Chart 3S^ Fig. 1. Xew York quick aetion triple 

valve, release position 269 

Chart 38. Fig. 2. Xew York quick action triple 

service, application position . 271 

Chart 38, Fig. 3. Xew York quick aeuun triple 

valve, aiit;>matic lap position 272 

Chart 38^ Fig. 4. Xeiv York quick action triple 

valve 274 

Chart 38. Fig. ^^ Xrw York qoiek action triple 

valve, emergency position (special view for 

showing tKe eznergeney valve) 273 

Chart 38, Fig. 6. Xew York qnick action triple 

valve (rear view) 275 

Chart 4LK Fig. 1. Xew York straight air brake 

valve 278 

Ckart 40. Fig. 2. Xew Yor > - : : . 1 : = : r 7 : r - - r e 

reducing valve , 279 

Chart 40. Fig. 3. Xew Y : .: - f e ty valve with hand 

release 280 

Chart 40, Fig. 4. Xe^ V ^ : Ir A compensating 

valve, high -_ 7- "_ '^rake 2S1 

Chart 40. Fig. 5. ile^ _ piping Xew York com- 
pensating valve 282 



ILLUSTRATIONS 437 

Chart 41, Fig. 1. New York air signal pressure re- 
ducing valve 285 

Chart 41,, Fig. 2. Style B New York air signal valve 286 
Chart 41, Fig. 3. New York car discharge valve . . . 287 

Chart 41, Fig. 4. New York signal whistle 288 

Plate No. 72. The Dukesmith straight air control 

valve with auxiliary release 313 

Plate No. 73. Pipe connections of the Dukesmith 

straight air control valve 314 

Plate No. 74. Sectional view Dukesmith straight 

air control valve 315 

Plate No. 75. General method of piping the Duke- 
smith straight air control valve 317 

Plate No. 76. The Dukesmith double heading cut- 
out cock 319 

Plate No. 77. Brake levers 360 

Plate No. 78. Car and tender truck brake levers. . 362 
Plate No. 79. Showing method of computing lever- 
age 364 

Plate No. 80. Outside equalized driver brake 369 

Plate No. 81. Engine truck brake 373 

Electric Traction Brake 390-409 



MODERN LOCOMOTIVE 
ENGINEERING 



20th Century 
Edition 



By C. F. SWINGLE, M. E. 




THE most modem and practical work published, treating upon the 
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new and improved devices for the safe handling of trains. 

The book contains over 600 pages and is beautifully illustrated with 
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£}ng(ineers and E^lectricians 



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By C. F. SWINGLE, M.E. 

Formerly Chief Engineer of the Pullman Car Works. Late Chief Engineer 
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ELECTRICAL DIVISION 

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DYNAMO TENDING 




ENQINEERS 

Or, ELECTRICITY 
FOR STEAM ENQINEERS 

By HEXEY C. aOESTMANN and 
VICTOR H. TOUSLE Y, 
Authors of "Modern Wiring Diagrams and 
Descriptions for Electrical Workers." 



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MODERN WIRING 
DIAGRAMS AND DESCRIPTIONS 




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